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<p>I think the infantalization of young adults only goes back to the mid-20th century – at least in the US. Before that, only a small percentage even attended college, and a much larger percentage dropped out before 12th grade to start working. Only one of my four grandparents (1920s) finished high school, and both my grandfathers went to work after 6th grade. Each generation seems to have stayed young longer – my parents both went to junior college (53-55) and I went to a 4-year university. It now strikes me as odd to find an 18-year-old working full-time and not attending school, but the opposite would have seemed odd to my grandparents in the 20s and 30s. </p>
<p>I’m a Boy Scout leader and a mentor for a youth robotics team. I’ve been working with young adults for seven years. They are capable of amazing intiative, responsibility, and self-motivation. They are equally willing (for the most part) to slide along with adults making the decisions and running things. </p>
<p>I don’t know how to reconcile the amount of education it takes to be successful in the tech age with my instinct that kids are growing up too late. Maybe the new Democratic majority in Congress will solve this for me…</p>