10/16/07 The Future is Kidults

Adultescence, kidults, peter pan-demonium This defines the generation of 18-35 year olds that simply won't grow up, leave home or get a life and its basically our fault because this demographic has been coddled by parents who have worn themselves silly smoothing every bump in the road to adult hood from planned play days to SAT tutors The real world is just too scary for TWeenies, twenty something's who remain addicted to play stations and Pez dispensers and make up the ever growing affluent category who extend adolescence into their early thirties. They are effecting traditional product marketing. Coffee companies like Folgers and Maxwell House are struggling because the boomerang generation doesn't wake up for anything in particular meaning tweenies drink far less coffee at home than baby boomer parents. Just 37 percent of young adults drink coffee at all compared to 60 percent of their parents generation . It remains to be seen how this new phenomenon sociologist dub the generation of "lost boys and girls" who refuse to leave Never Never land plays out. It's a tad scary from my middle age perch to think kidults are the future.