What’s a “Twixter”? Nope. It’s not a Twix® bar addict…The following may give you a hint:
“Hi. I’m Ian. I’m 24 years old, I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. But I’m enjoying the journey.”
The important clue here is “I’m 24 years old…[but] when I grow up…”
I hadn’t heard of this funny term, “Twixter”, until I read a Time magazine article that a friend gave me. As it turns out, this topic has more to it than meets the eye.
The Time article defines a Twixter as being a young adult between 18-25 years old and stuck between two stages: adolescence and adulthood, hence called "twixter". Among other things, twixters are described as:
- putting off adult responsibility by living with their parents well into their 20s,
- jumping from job to job without securing a permanent position, and
- being generous spenders in spite of their changeable financial situation and lingering student debt.
Twixters have been called “kidults” because they don’t take on the distinct adult-defining roles such as purchasing a house and having their own family.
According to the article, these young adults choose to remain in a continual state of permanent adolescence without seeming to make the complete transition into life’s next stage.
Are You a Twixter?
Do any of these characteristics apply to you?
- Are you finished college, but still living at home with the ‘rents?
- Does your video game collection rival Blockbuster’s?
- Do you eat out so often that you top your neighbourhood restaurants’ “most valuable customer” list?
- Do you find yourself dreaming more about moving in with someone than your wedding day?
- Do your credit card bills and loan-repayment reminders outnumber your family’s cumulative mail?
- Have you had 3 or more addresses in the past 5 years?
If you said yes to any of the above you could, perhaps unknowingly, be a twixter yourself. You’re not alone. According to the Time poll of young adults 18-29 years, 39% don’t consider themselves an adult yet.
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the stage of young adulthood and still having fun doing some of the things you did as a kid. However, problems pop up when we as “adults-in-training” keep enjoying these privileges without agreeing to take on the additional adult responsibilities that come with this stage of life.
As we start making changes now, we can reap the benefits of being an adult sooner rather than later. We can experience the satisfaction that comes from accomplishing the goals that only risk-taking, commitment, and endurance can achieve.
How Twixters are Made (Help! I don’t want to be a Twixter!)
What exactly is causing this social phenomenon? Without a doubt, factors such aseconomic conditions and educational curricula have a role to play.
Twixters have been scolded for being irrational, reluctant, and idealistic.
But people’s attitudes and motivations can’t be fully determined by looking at numbers and trends. Much more can be learned by looking into personal motives for life choices. Discovering these motives can help twixters make better choices and become “untwixed.”
What Twixters Want: Significance
Why do kids want to grow up so fast?
From the time we learned to talk and make sense of the world around us, we’ve enjoyed pretending to be like adults.
We wanted to be “just like dad” or our favourite teacher. We loved playing dress-up, loved to be the authoritative policeman, daring cowboy, princess, loving mother (remember your Cabbage Patch doll?), or caring nurse.
Twixters start off just like any kids who dream and are motivated by the desire to become someone who is looked up to. Each of us wants to become someone significant.
Broken-Toe Impatience
My brother broke his toe when he was two because he loved sticking his little feet in Dad’s size 11 shoes and taking them for a spin around the house. He wanted to grow up and liked to play pretend that those shoes fit him perfectly. He wanted to be the grown-up. He couldn’t wait to get there.
Like my brother, from an early age, we discover a longing within us to mature, to be in charge of things, and to be independent.
As we get older and learn that becoming mature means taking on risks and responsibility, the prospect of adulthood begins to lose some of its lustre. We no longer impatiently strain to get there but become more realistic about the challenges that await us.
Growing up: What Twixters Fear 1.2.3.4.
Bea is an English student who by no means has the whole twixter thing figured out. She loves reading anything that's not assigned for homework, skiing, taking nature walks, and playing with Stormy, her hopelessly-untrained Siberian Husky. Copyright © iamnext.com 2005. May not be reprinted without permission.
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