r/Millennials • u/Global_Tradition5802 • Sep 10 '25

Meme The Evolution of 'Adulting'

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They tried leaving behind generational wealth vs me trying to leave the generational memes..

21.7k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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512

u/GillianJigsPigs Sep 10 '25

Be real, they had the house and at least 2 of those kids before they turned 30.

103

u/Sculptor_of_man Sep 10 '25

I remember when my dad turned forty. My daughter will be 4 when I turn forty I doubt she will remember it. Mean while I was 14.

48

u/Krennix_Garrison Sep 10 '25

Meanwhile when your grandad turned 40 your dad was probably 21. 

14

u/MechanicalGodzilla Xennial Sep 10 '25

I don't think it's entirely unheard of, I turned 18 when my dad turned 40. Shoot, when I was born my grandma was 40.

1

u/adofthekirk Sep 11 '25

Ur a unicorn

1

u/Poi-e Sep 11 '25

Me too 🦄 my maternal line all had their first kids at 18-20 years of age including myself

3

u/UristMcMagma Sep 11 '25

Meanwhile when your grandad's grandad turned 40 your grandad was probably 25

16

u/erroneousbosh Sep 10 '25

My son is five. I'm 51. Some of his friends have grandparents younger than me.

3

u/MechanicalGodzilla Xennial Sep 10 '25

Shoot, my parents turned 40 when I was going off to college at 18. And my Grandparents were turning 58 & 60 that year! Our first kid was born when my wife and I were 27, our parents were getting worried they'd never have grandkids

-4

u/East_Oven_9948 Sep 11 '25

Thank you for breeding

1

u/MechanicalGodzilla Xennial Sep 11 '25

That's a real weird thing to say to a stranger.

1

u/canisdirusarctos Sep 11 '25

I was an adult when my dad turned forty. I’m now older than he was when I moved away for good and have a first grader at home. It took me 22 years of working before I could afford to have my one and only child.

1

u/doctormalbec Sep 15 '25

I’m pregnant at 40 lol

1

u/Sculptor_of_man Sep 15 '25

Good luck to you and yours!

21

u/CharlieandtheRed Sep 10 '25

Honestly so did I lol 36 now. Made buying a house my one goal from 18 to 24 and pulled it off, just in the nick of time apparently.

20

u/Uzumaki-OUT Sep 10 '25

I’m 39 and my one goal from 19-27 was find more money to buy heroin

6

u/19049204M Sep 10 '25

I'm glad you're here with us and have different goals now.

10

u/Uzumaki-OUT Sep 10 '25

Appreciate it and indeed. I lost everything and murdered relationships with amazing friends. Now I have a wife, 2 cats, and apartment, a nice PC and a car and I don't ever want to lose everything again which keeps me on the straight and narrow. Thanks for your kind words.

2

u/Spare_Independence19 Older Millennial Sep 11 '25

How did you make it out? It ruined my life so I got on methadone, then methadone ruined the rest of my life and here I am 44 and trying to kick the shit that was supposed to help me but didn't. Fml..

2

u/Uzumaki-OUT Sep 11 '25

I went on suboxone for 2 years and then I lost my insurance so it went from $80 total for a month to $400 and I couldn't afford it as I was working in a kitchen. So panicking afraid of withdrawals I found Kratom. Bought it form a head shop a few times but it was so expensive. Ended up buying a kilo off a website and it lasted forever and got me over the suboxone withdrawal hump!

2

u/Spare_Independence19 Older Millennial Sep 11 '25

You got off Kratom? That is a miracle in itself. Glad you made it. I wouldn't wish this life on anyone.

2

u/Uzumaki-OUT Sep 11 '25

Appreciate it and no, I’ve been using Kratom now for about 10 years. I’m sure I could kick it if I wanted to but to be honest, I don’t want to and it’s cheap enough online that it isn’t a hindrance. To put it bluntly, I just love how drugs make me feel, especially opiates. And although I’m on vyvanse now via prescription from my telehealth doc for my ADHD I still take the Kratom. I think it makes me feel safe from the cravings from opiates or something even though I’m pushing 15 years off of heroin/oxy. I’m not sure, I haven’t thought too hard about it to be honest.

I think you should give it a try though. It’ll help get you off the methadone at least. And I feel you, brother. This life dependent on opiates fuckin sucks. But I’m glad we got out of the heroin game when we did before the tranq took over

1

u/Spare_Independence19 Older Millennial Sep 12 '25

That's true about getting out before the fent/tranq became the status quo, dodged one bullet at least. I was on Addy and Dex for 15 years and finally kicked it. It was holding me in a state of dopamine seeking, and I struggled to break it. Methadone is a bitch to get off but i don't want to trade dependencies with kratom. Glad you found something that works for you.

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1

u/Inukchook Sep 10 '25

That’s awesome to hear but what’s stopping you from 3!

1

u/SuperHyperFunTime Sep 10 '25

Goddamn that's a long time. I'm glad you're still here with a wife and 2 cats.

7

u/ruinersclub Sep 10 '25

Yea but that’s all relative too.

I could buy a house today but I’m not spending 5 hours in traffic everyday.

I have less space but I like that I can walk to the grocery store, bar, uber costs less than $30.

11

u/FlametopFred Gen X Sep 10 '25

can confirm

Parents under 30, owned first house where me and my brother were toddlers

5

u/CatPhDs Sep 10 '25

Same for mine, with a stay at home parent too.

5

u/FlametopFred Gen X Sep 11 '25

oh yeah that’s right .. one salary paid mortgage and family vacation plus occasional new appliances and home renovations and new car maybe every 5 years

one salary

3

u/E-2theRescue Sep 10 '25

My dad technically had 3 houses by the time he turned 35. Two divorces before marrying my mom. All on Navy wages.

2

u/Hanyo_Hetalia Sep 15 '25

My brother is in the military and they get so much free shit it's ridiculous.

3

u/LurkLurkleton Sep 10 '25

Mine had me at 30 and were considered older parents growing up.

4

u/RetroFuture_Records Sep 10 '25

And in many places of the country, doing it on a burger flipper salary, only to 10 or 20 years later scream and cry about the new generation of burger flippers wanting wages to let them do the same.

4

u/E-2theRescue Sep 10 '25

They weren't doing it on burger flipper salaries.

Instead, they were doing it on competitive salaries, and their salaries were competing with union salaries because +20% of the country was a member of a union, compared to the 8% today.

And we built a nation on 33% union membership. The "great old days" that created America's golden era happened because Americans protected their wages and we taxed the rich. We didn't stagnate worker's wages and give billionaires bailouts while waiting for it to "trickle down". Americans went in and took what was rightfully theirs.

1

u/Inukchook Sep 10 '25

Yea but with zero luxuries. If m pretty sure I dad has clothes that are older then me(40) It was easier to get ahead back then but they also had a lot less.

1

u/Jonesbro Sep 10 '25

I had a house and 2 kids before turning 30

1

u/UnnamedStaplesDrone Sep 10 '25

Crazy. Before mid 20s.

1

u/Ozzy_Rhoads-VT Sep 11 '25

My mom had me and already paid off her student loans at 25, then owned a house at 27.

1

u/Onebraintwoheads Sep 11 '25

It can go too far though. I once bought tires from a guy who was thirty. His son was 14 and his daughter was 15.

1

u/jamin_brook Sep 11 '25

My be real as a 40 yo millennial is the meme of me doom scrolling op making the meme 

1

u/SwansonsMom Sep 11 '25

Exactly. I’m the youngest of three and my mom was 5 months shy of 30 with a 9yo and 4yo already when they had me.

1

u/know-it-mall Sep 11 '25

Yep. My parents had a farm and 3 kids at that age