Middle Aged 20-Somethings’ Blues

Welcome to Ma & Pa’s picnic: What it feels like when “Middle Age” arrives in Your 20s” as “stress is making young people feel older [thanks to] mounting concerns about job security, debt, child-care costs & caregiving."

The WSJ piece by Clare Ansberry likely hit a chord with a growing number of 20- and 30-Somethings who are “hitting [life’s traditional] milestones later than past generations,” including marrying, starting a family & buying a home. The result of what might be called “premature stress,” Ansberry suggests, simply “makes them feel older. BTW, “middle age” has typically been defined as ages 40 to 60. Yet, we’re told “about 20% of younger people ages 25 to 34 now feel middle-aged, at least, according to a study by marketing firm Horizon Media. Meanwhile, the average 25-year-old says middle age starts around 37 and ends at about 53. On the flip side, the typical 65-year-old thinks it starts at 46 & ends at 62. Tell-tale signs in their view: “Skin changes, aches & pains and worsening eyesight.”

Tell me about it. Kick in “hearing loss” why don’t you? But, back to the “added pressure” today’s people are feeling. Could it be that folks of all ages are feeling that “rush to get established,” or “maintain one’s social status,” only the 20-&30-Somethings, perhaps having been more sheltered by dedicated parents from life’s inevitable worries, are waking up?  One person quoted about the feeling of an “early onset Middle Age” said, “People feel pushed to do things earlier because there’s so much competition in the workplace and so much competition to buy a house.” Yet, wouldn’t a 50-Something aka “mom or dad” basically say the same thing about their own lives in real time, only talk more in terms of their 401(k) plan or Social Security benefits when the time comes that they’re needed … then, add, “welcome to the party, dear”?

Davd Soul