www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, August 25, 2016 | 18 A A full- edged adult who's still having trouble adulting pparently, I'm still having trouble adulting. And, apparently, adulting is now an actual word. Recently, I started noticing an abundant usage -- mostly on the Internet, and mostly in the social media circles dominated by a generation of creative kids -- of the word adult, used as a verb. As in, I've spent my entire childhood trying to learn how to "adult." Confused by this usage? Merriam-Webster Dictionary explains: "To adult is to behave like an adult, to do the things that adults regularly have to do. This includes things like having a job and living independently, but also such mundanities as taking clothes to That's Life Guest Contributor Andy Juniper the dry cleaners (and remembering to pick them up)..." Ah yes, all the riotously fun stuff in life. Stuff that, unsurprisingly, most kids want no part of, or only want to experience in very small doses. Speaking to Time magazine, lexicographer BACK TO SCHOOL MATTRESS ASHLEy POCKET COIL SINGLE MATTRESS SALE! SINGLE MATTRESS ORCHID EURO TOP POCKET COIL Jane Solomon noted, millennials are prone to what she deemed `delayed development'. Meaning, they go through life stages much later in life than other generations, things like starting families and owning homes. "Maybe they won't own homes at all.... And we've all heard about millennials boomeranging (moving back in with their parental units)...." Possibly to offset any embarrassment caused by this delayed development, or to turn their reluctance to become full- edged adults into something of a self-deprecating joke, they persistently post online about their baby steps (and missteps) into adulthood -- maybe they changed a random diaper, or threw a dinner party that didn't feature Kraft Dinner, or bought a plant and didn't murder it through neglect -- and they hashtag the post: #adulting. I love it: adulting. I give props to these peeps for the word coinage; generally speaking, millennials are wonderful in their insistence at not being tied to proper old-time English, and their willingness to marvelously modify words. And I give props for their cheeky employment of this new word, that is now of cially worming its way into assorted dictionaries. To boot, I don't blame millennials at all for their reluctance to become adults. Adulting is intimidating. And, as most fulledged grown-ups have found through experience: absolute adulthood is elusive. Personally, I've never been all that certain that adulthood is even attainable, or, honestly, all that appealing. I mean, if you consider the best times -- the most fun, the most memorable -- you've had over the course of your so-called adult life, they've probably been experienced when you were acting the least like an adult. Seriously: smack-dab in the midst of writing this missive, I was texted by a devious duo, suggesting I skip out of work and join them on the golf course. Skip out of work? Sneak onto the links during work hours? How irresponsible? How childish? How... much fun was that? Tons of fun. Shirking responsibilities, feeling like a kid again. Acting all, well, #unadulty. -- Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@ gmail.com. $ 299 KING MATTRESS $ 369 KING MATTRESS 1DAYS DAY ONLY! 3 ONLY! DOUBLE MATTRESS $ 369 QUEEN MATTRESS $ 449 $ 649 DOUBLE MATTRESS $ 499 QUEEN MATTRESS $ 549 $ 699 SEALy CORTOT SINGLE MATTRESS IRON FUTON COMPLETE NOW $ 299 KING MATTRESS $ 399 DOUBLE MATTRESS $ 379 QUEEN MATTRESS $ 399 $ 649 MATTRESSES $199 MILTON 238 Main Street, East · 905.878.4606 staRting fRom sta Members' 40% Off discount valid Aug.25-27, 2016, on in-stock merchandise, excluding special purchases, promotional items, Signature StylesTM, clearance and yarn. Not valid with any other discounts. Where Members' everyday discount is 50% off our reg. price, Members save 50%. Not a Member? Join now & save! Details in-store! MISSISSAUGA 2150 Burnhamthorpe Road · 905.542.0481 HOURS: Monday - Wednesday 10am - 6pm · Thursday - Fraiday 10am - 8pm · Saturday 9am - 6pm · Sunday 11am - 5pm % 0 EVERYTHING! 4 on ALMOST Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! www.fabricland.ca MEMBERS SA SAVE SATURDAY,MARCH5 SA Thur.-Sat.AUG.25-27 OR BETTER! off our reg. prices MISSISSAUGA: 3015 WINSTON CHURCHILL BLVD. (N.W. side @ Dundas) 905-828-9966 BURLINGTON: 3515 FAIRVIEW ST. 905-639-2516 Enrol today. Oakville locations 345 Lakeshore Rd. East, Suite 312 180 Oak Park Blvd., Suite 107 YD.COM | (905) 842-6846 #WeSaveLives Because THEIR life is on the line. Register your new driver for an evening, weekend or 4-day express summer driving course. Young Drivers' exclusive Collisionfree!TM driving maneuvers are their best defence on the road. Text YDOAKVILLEBEAVER to 58888 for upcoming course dates.