Earlier this evening I was sitting in the lounge of the dorm I'm confined to for the summer. Someone walked in with a container of yogurt. This inspired someone else to jump up and find his own container to see who could eat it the quickest. I laughed and couldn't help but wonder about the challenger's enthusiasm for yogurt. He had so much fun, even when he almost spit it all back out. It's wonderful to see people enjoying the little things in life. Since he is 19, I wondered if an adult could enjoy that event just as much.

Recall the stories of elder generations. They walked five miles to school everyday, in the snow, and uphill both ways, barefoot! Perhaps we were spoiled by school buses, but that didn't make me hate them any less. None of us have any respect for our elders, us younguns. We are lazy. And we're all legally adults, but apparently nothing like our parents were at our age.

Turning 18 used to mean moving out or being kicked out. Now it's just as likely that the newborn adult will live in his or her mother's basement licking Cheetoh crumbs off the floor for another 20 or 30 years before the idea of financial independence comes along to kick him in the head. This is especially true since most people need a long time before they are able to afford the cost of living and maintain an adult lifestyle. What does it actually mean to be a legal adult? Do I have to move out of the basement to become one? When is this generation ever going to grow up?

Despite the fact that not all high school graduates move on to college, college seems to be a safe haven for continued adolescence. Students live in dorms without parental supervision, but still need to be watched by RAs. No one knows how to cook or cares to take the time so they live off of Ramen and Coke. Another group of students moves into apartments or houses with huge groups of people. This is just like the dorms, only there are no RAs to make them turn down the music. Then there are those like me who live at home and continue to drain the life out of their parents. Parents can also tend to play a large part in paying for college. In the summer, many of us go home (or stay there longer) to leech and sleep in until three in the afternoon. I see nothing wrong with that.

We aren't yet old enough to sign a lease on our own, afford everything we need, pay for college, rent a car or even drink legally. However, we can always vote if we're bored enough.

We are forced to fill our time with less intellectual but more stimulating endeavors like drunken parties and ... more drunken parties.

Yet the "true" adults submit to some of the most juvenile behavior. After all, there really are people who watch Bill O'Reilly. There are just certain times when every adult can act a little immature. Then there's that dreaded period of the month called PMS in which all women become whiny toddlers. Men on the other hand need no such designated time period, but rather the span of the month for childish behavior.

The country centers itself around the nuclear family, which only continues to grow in importance. Young adults still have to play the role of children, and we continue on in this situation for a long time. I wouldn't mind eating my mom's casserole when I'm 25 and not having to worry about paying rent. It's the good life.

Maybe the new breed of adult really does live at home indefinitely. Or maybe we really just haven't grown up yet. Much of this generation has maintained a childlike naivete while moving forward into the adult world. We can capture the cynical spirit of the workplace while maintaining a childlike innocence. Just because my friends still enjoy playing board games or swinging from the dorm sprinkler system doesn't mean they aren't fully capable adults. They just have a playful side too. It'll be nice to believe in Santa forever.

Sara Warzecka has not progressed in her journey to adulthood since the second grade. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.