Adulting is hard. We've all seen the memes where someone's complaining about doing a basic adult activity, like washing and putting away laundry. An entire generation has an aversion to the requisite tasks of maturity that were seemingly secondhand generations before. We don't know how to balance a checkbook. We don't know if we people even "do" checkbooks anymore. It's not that we're incompetent or lazy or dumb. It's that we never learned how.
Home economics used to be a common part of the high school curriculum, but in the past decade, enrollment in home economics classes has fallen by 40%. When we think of home economics, we might think of girls in the 1950s being trained to bake cakes for their future husbands, but many home economics classes teach skills vital to independent living, including money management?
RELATED: Italy will require kids learn about climate change in school starting in 2020
Parents haven't picked up the slack, either. Parenting has shifted from a focus on imparting basic life skills to a focus on achievements. "Helicopter parenting," in which parents come in and save their children when they get into trouble, has created perfectionist children unable to fend for themselves in the wild.
In short, adulting is hard because people don't know how to do it. An entire generation of people well into adulthood know advanced, complex mathematical formulas but feel overwhelmed by even the thought of making and keeping a budget. Hence the need for college-level adulting classes.
UC Berkeley is now offering a class on adulting. Two students, Belle Lau and Jenny Zhou, came together to create the class after they began living on their own for the first time. They noticed that their peers also felt as if there was a gap in their education. "We're thrown out into this world and have little idea about what the heck we're supposed to do," Lau told the Los Angeles Times. "I think in general we all feel a little bit lost and don't know where to start."
The class is a student-run course through the university's DeCal (Democratic Education at Cal) program. In the program, students are able to create and run their own classes on subjects that aren't necessarily covered in the university's traditional classes. Like adulting.
The class focuses on skills like time management, budgeting, fitness, nutrition, and relationships. Zhou and Lau bring in outside experts to teach students about life skills, such as the recruiter from Lyft who spoke about looking for a job or the former accountant who taught students how to file taxes.
RELATED: A new PSA smartly reveals just how dangerous tackle football is for kids
Even if it's not our fault that we weren't taught how to adult, it is our fault if we never learn to adult. "Maybe it is our parents who aren't teaching us these things we thought we should already know, but we don't want to blame our parents for us being naive or ignorant," Lau told the Los Angeles Times. "It's our responsibility as college students to know that if we're struggling in some aspect, there are resources out there for us."
Hopefully, future generations will understand both advanced subjects and basic life skills.
Parents of young children get more time with them if they work from home.Photo credit: Canva
Juicy subject matter
Giphy from The Blacklist.
We could start a rumor.
Grieving couple comforting each other
This response to someone grieving a friend might be the best internet comment ever
When someone is hit with the sudden loss of a friend or loved one, words rarely feel like enough. Yet, more than a decade ago, a wise Redditor named GSnow shared thoughts so profound they still bring comfort to grieving hearts today.
Originally posted around 2011, the now-famous reply was rediscovered when Upvoted, an official Reddit publication, featured it again to remind everyone of its enduring truth. It began as a simple plea for help: “My friend just died. I don't know what to do.”
What followed was a piece of writing that many consider one of the internet’s best comments of all time. It remains shared across social media, grief forums, and personal messages to this day because its honesty and metaphor speak to the raw reality of loss and the slow, irregular path toward healing.
Below is GSnow’s full reply, unchanged, in all its gentle, wave-crashing beauty:
Why this advice still matters
Mental health professionals and grief counselors often describe bereavement in stages or phases, but GSnow’s “wave theory” gives an image more relatable for many. Rather than a linear process, grief surges and retreats—sometimes triggered by a song, a place, or a simple morning cup of coffee.
In recent years, this metaphor has found renewed relevance. Communities on Reddit, TikTok, and grief support groups frequently reshare it to help explain the unpredictable nature of mourning.
Many readers say this analogy helps them feel less alone, giving them permission to ride each wave of grief rather than fight it.
Finding comfort in shared wisdom
Since this comment first surfaced, countless people have posted their own stories underneath it, thanking GSnow and passing the words to others facing fresh heartbreak. It’s proof that sometimes, the internet can feel like a global support group—strangers linked by shared loss and hope.
For those searching for more support today, organizations like The Dougy Center, GriefShare, and local bereavement groups offer compassionate resources. If you or someone you know is struggling with intense grief, please reach out to mental health professionals who can help navigate these deep waters.
When grief comes crashing like the ocean, remember these words—and hang on. There is life between the waves.
This article originally appeared four years ago.