Students, their parents see adulthood as far off

PROVO — More and more parents consider their college kids just that — kids still, not adults — and their 18- to 25-year-old children actually agree with mom and dad, according to a Brigham Young University study published Wednesday.

Children are delaying adulthood deep into their 20s, creating a new group between teenagers and adults that BYU researcher Larry Nelson calls "emerging adults" and that others have called Peter Pan kids. The shift in American society is causing some growing pains for children and parents alike.

"There's this new, long period of time where parents are finding they're not done with parenting," Nelson said. "When people find out I teach child development, it's interesting so many parents ask me what to do with their 18- to 25-year-olds. I get more of that than I get questions about toddlers."

The BYU researchers talked to 392 college students at five schools around the country and interviewed at least one of their parents. Only 16 percent of mothers and 19 percent of fathers said their college-age children had reached adulthood. Among students, just 16 percent considered themselves adults.

"It's hard to know where to put the line," said BYU senior Andy Orme, who was fuzzy about considering himself an adult yet.

Putting it relatively, he said maturity may depend on the moment's activity: "If it's serious financial stuff, then I'm probably not there yet, nope," he said. "But other stuff, smaller stuff, I think I'm there."

College and university employees know that some over-active parents, dubbed "helicopter parents" by some, have played a part in the rise of this new "emerging adult" stage of life, Nelson said. Parents who complain about their marriages or divorces and about every little problem with their jobs push emerging adults to delay those choices.

"Why would they want to rush into that?" Nelson said.

Lori Passey, mother of a BYU freshman, doesn't consider herself the "helicopter" kind but said parenting in that age group is full of "hard calls" between letting go and butting in.

Passey said she tries hard to treat her 18-year-old daughter Dani Passey like an adult but isn't quite ready to write her in the adult category just yet.

Dani, who said she's enjoying "total freedom" as her first college semester winds down, believes she's reached the next level.

"I'm paying for everything," she said. "My school, food, everything, so I can't help but feel like (an adult)."

And mixed messages in media can set parents and their 18- to 25-year-old children at odds. Some media encourage emerging adults to use this time to play around, explore, take their time, but when they do so, other media label them as selfish, narcissistic and irresponsible.

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