21 Memes for Technical 'Adults' With the Heart of a Teenager

Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor

Apr 10, 2025 2:00 PM EDT

On paper, I'm technically an adult. I have a job, I have an apartment, I buy my groceries, pay my bills, and I regularly get my oil changed. I can vote, I can start a business, I can buy whatever I want on eBay, but deep down, I don't want any of those things. I don't want the responsibility of being an adult—even if it means enjoying the perks of adulthood.

Missing our teenage years, technical adults tired of the rat race dream of a bland microwave quesadilla and a Koolaid for lunch, and we reminisce on the nostalgia of our responsibility-free teenhood. Sure, we were told to do our chores like the dishes, walking the dog, or even mowing the lawn, but beyond that, we could do whatever we please, covering our bedrooms in band posters, lava lamps, and daily affirmations of our hormonal angst. Beyond the drama of high school and our first job, being a teenager was actually pretty chill.

So for those of us glaring at the pile of laundry on our bedroom chair, take a moment to appreciate the confines of your childhood for a moment. Because despite the desperate longing to be free and 'be treated like an adult,' it turns out the grass IS always greener on the other side.