Adulting is overrated — and still required
Joneen Mackenzie writes that adulting is not having all the answers; it is showing up when the Wi-Fi dies.
Joneen Mackenzie ·
Two of my grandchildren (twins) turned 21 this week. Soon after their birthday event, I saw a man in his mid-40s wearing a T-shirt that read “Adulting is Overrated.” These events made me reflect on the transformative journey to adulthood. When I turned 21, I did not feel like an adult. Even though I graduated from college, had my own apartment, and was paying my bills, I did not consider myself one.
Many adults still feel like children wearing slightly more expensive clothes. We may own homes, lead meetings, or raise families, yet feel oddly unqualified when faced with assembling furniture or understanding health insurance forms. Expected crises arrive: a friend locks their keys in the car. Someone misses a flight. The Wi-Fi stops working. While everyone else panics, the adult begins troubleshooting. They may not know the solution right away, but they know panic has never fixed a router.
Yet adulting isn’t just about solving problems. It’s also about caring for others. It’s checking in on a friend after a difficult week. It’s bringing soup to someone who’s sick. It’s paying attention, noticing that everyone is tired, and suggesting a break. The real lesson of adulting is that being an adult doesn’t mean having all the answers. It means showing up anyway. It means taking responsibility when no one else does. It means helping, organizing, fixing, comforting, and occasionally remembering to schedule the dreaded colonoscopy.
Adulting may be exhausting, confusing, and sometimes ridiculous. But it also shows that people can be counted on. In a world full of uncertainty, being the adult in the room is less about perfection and more about presence. joneen@narme.org
Print source: The Villager, Vol. 44 No. 28, June 4, 2026, page 3. Issuu edition.