Please tell me about your interesting young adult!

[Thesnailonthewhale]

All the young adults I've met recently and that's about a dozen between the ages of about 19 and 24. Are all so fucking boring.

My 22-year-old colleague who I have to sit next to, lives at home with his parents, no expenses or bills to pay, it's not saving for anything so essentially has to ground a month pocket money and almost infinite spare time. I asked him what have you done this weekend, or last week or whatever. This last weekend he spent three evenings watching twitch streams about Pokémon until about 3:00 in the morning. Didn't go out with any friends. Didn't go and see the world. Didn't go. Didn't do anything. Just sits around watching TV watching live streams.

Another one who's about 23 who I know through a friend. We were having lunch together and I asked her what does she get up to then in her spare time. Nothing apparently. Hasn't been to see the world. Hasn't been visiting anywhere. Not interested in galleries, exhibitions festivals literally nothing. And so we find out what it is she does with her time, and it's just a shrug and she might be watching something on Netflix or whatever.

When I was their age I was going I was going to Europe for the weekend getting the cheapest flight possible, staying in a hostel and exploring the world. Going out with my friends we'd go to museums and art galleries because we were boring like that. Or we'd go to a theme park for a day or whatever. But we do something and have interesting stories to tell.

So please restore my faith in young adults and tell me the interesting things they are up to please!!!

It could be that the young adults are getting up to stuff they don't want to share! I'll often reply with a polite 'I just had a quiet one' if I'm not in the mood for chit chat.

The young adults I know (my kids and nieces and nephews) all seem to be doing plenty. Working, going out. The occasional trip away.

Honestly, OP, I'm sure you didn't mean it to, but this comes off as a bit judgy to me. Maybe your colleague is trying to save up to get on the housing ladder. Maybe he's got fewer friends because he spent part of his youth in lockdown and is a bit self conscious about it. Maybe he has caring responsibilities that he doesn't want to talk to you about. Maybe he goes to orgies every night and the Twitch thing is just a cover story! It's really not your business and it's a bit unfair to call him boring.

I think you’re coming off like a Harry Enfield or Catherine Tate character.

I (late 50s) work with 4 people under 30 and honestly they are so interesting, they travel, do lots of fun things at weekends, sports, you name it. My DCs do all sorts too. I used to have a colleague the same age as me who didn't seem to be able to engage in chat with the younger people and it was fairly clear she couldn't relate to them and wasn't really interested in their lives maybe you are unintentionally giving off that vibe.

nope... i'm not convinced - have a 17 year old on work experience here.

"oh so what did you get up to last night?"
"Nothing"
"Ok... I made a cake, lemon drizzle and my DD wanted to eat all of it. DO you like baking?"
"ummm... i dunno...."

fine... cakes, boring whatever.

a little bit later on after she's sat there in silence for 20 odd minutes twiddling her thumbs (not my responsibility to give her work i might add)

"soooo... you mentioned you like to read yesterday? What are you reading?"
"ummm nothing"
"Ok, what kind of books do you usually like to read?"
" ummm... i never said i read...?"
"Oh, but when you said yesterday that you read around your A_Level subjects, what is it that you meant then?"
"oh umm like... just stuff about psychology"
"oh, great, my sisters studying that at uni right now, what topics are you on at the moment?"
"ummmm... i forgot"

...fine doesn't want to talk about that....

a bit later on (last ditch attempt)
"so, what kind of TV do you like to watch>"
"umm i watch TV"
"Yeah :D great, what do you like?"
"um, i don't know..."

FUCKS SAKE

BORING FUCKING YOUNG PEOPLE

Sounds like the Spanish inquisition. It's none of your business if they watch Pokémon every night or whether they spend their evenings working as a secret assassin.

Young people, and I have a house full of them, commonly (you will get some outliers, obviously) do not want to converse with 'old people'. It's no different to when they were 6 years old and I'd ask what they did at school...cue the stock answer of "nothing".

They don't know you. They don't particularly want to get to know you. That's not boring; it's the same for every generation there has been and all the ones still to come.

I'll bite OP!

My 20 year old DD has organised an album launch party for her band next month, she's saved hard to pay for her driving lessons and test, she's also building a suitcase drum kit. She's also disabled.

DS 18 has been making wine/preserves and helping out at an allotment. He's been learning to do book binding and plays the piano/guitar/saxophone and drums. All self taught.
He also went wild camping with his older sibling and friends at weekend and off to do music at uni.

Think it's more an issue of some young people struggling to hold decent conversations with other generations.

Well mine enjoys long hill walks, exercise classes, playing musical instruments, reading, knitting and cooking. Loves travel and is currently two flights away from home. She was a graduate and lucky to get a job that relates to her niche degree subject. She has a boyfriend and a good few friends who she regularly sees for coffee, exercise, craft. Also, manages to fit tv and listening to music, she's always doing something unless she's sleeping.

Having said the above, nothing wrong with cradhing out on your own if you're happy.

That just sounds like she is socially awkward and/or doesn't want to talk. Just leave her be.

Following with interest as my young adult dd leads a very far from boring life, but I can't tell you any of it. Soz. 😎

<she's not allowed to tell me everything she does anyway lol>

Sounds like you're browbeating the poor girl a bit.

Ha ha, this is over two days. I'm hardly badgering her. And I do have to share an office with the mute mushroom.

Doesn’t it depend what you consider to be boring 🤔

Anyway my 30 year old ds is in a walking group, plays squash and goes to the gym several times a week. Loves his job and is very sociable. But he doesn’t big himself up, he’s very humble.

My 17 year old ds also loves the gym, enjoys going to the theatre and is in a drama club at school. He’s also really into politics and current affairs. However he is shy with strangers - so you might think he’s boring.

Don't worry, I am.

She can sit in her own awkward silence doing absolutely nothing... Not my problem tbh.

It's more that most young people I've met have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to say. They don't do anything.

Seriously I think they just sit and doom scrolll and watch crap on YouTube all evening.

Not my young person but a young person (aged 22) I know is writing a book about surviving childhood cancer and has plans to turn the book into a one-woman play.

Another one I know (aged 25) has just set up as a weight-neutral personal trainer and has been so inundated with work that she's got a waiting list and is looking at taking on staff.

But I work with young people and I do agree, OP, that there's a lot less 'get up and go'. I think its easy for them to be sucked into a pattern of watching shit on YouTube or scrolling social media.

But I also think you'd judge me if I told you about my life. I haven't left the city I live in for eight years. I don't have many friends. I hardly see my family. I hate the theatre. Art bores me. I have no children. I spend my nights reading a book and watching Netflix. I cook a bit. I go to the gym a couple of times a week. But I love my small, simple, uncomplicated life

That's fine, we don't have to be friends.

But Jesus Christ, we're sitting next to each other for 8 hours and 5 days.... Surely a soon to be adult has actual conversation skills? And can at least make small talk?

But at least you would be able to say that you enjoy reading, and might even be able to tell me what book you're reading atm and the series you're currently enjoying on Netflix.

I actually think she just sits and doom scrolls like loads of teens.

OP, you were interrogating this 17 year old. I don’t blame him or her for shutting down.

This is a few conversations I've the last 2 days or so at work.... Not a grilling in quick succession.

I've just given up. She doesn't want to talk. She has nothing to say.

I wonder if the young people you are interacting with have either never learned the art of conversation/small talk or just don't want to share with you.

When I think back to my early 20s, I'd would have never shared what I really got up to at the weekend with my older colleagues, I think I would have thought they would have been shocked/appalled at what I got up to!

I must admit in my 40s I barely do small talk at work and don't generally share a lot of what I get up to in my personal life, its private.

I think they just don't do anything.

...and apparently people make excuses for their rude and uninteresting offspring who are unable to have a conversation 😬

It's because they spent their weekend snorting coke, but don't want to tell an old person that.