I'd argue that adulthood was fundamentally altered by the time of the baby boomers. A sizable proportion of grownups became giant kids, not because adulthood ha

I'd argue that adulthood was fundamentally altered by the time of the baby boomers. A sizable proportion of grownups became giant kids, not because adulthood has always been like that, but that a portion of baby boomers (and the generations that came afterwards) refused to implement what has historically been considered to be the hallmarks of what it meant to be an adult. David Hoffman's "Making Sense of the Sixties"^1 does a great job at elucidating the implicit rules that existed: >1. Respect authority figures: Children were taught to respect authority figures such as parents, teachers, and law enforcement officers. >2. Practice good manners: Kids were expected to say "please" and "thank you," hold doors open for others, and wait their turn to speak. >3. Dress appropriately: Children were expected to dress neatly and modestly, and to follow specific dress codes in certain situations such as church or school. >4. Behave appropriately: Kids were expected to behave appropriately in public and avoid drawing attention to themselves, especially in formal settings such as weddings or funerals. >5. Uphold traditional gender roles: Boys were expected to be tough, independent, and interested in sports, while girls were expected to be nurturing, feminine, and interested in domestic activities such as cooking and cleaning. >6. Be polite to elders: Children were taught to address adults as "sir" or "ma'am" and to show respect for their elders. >7. Value hard work: Children were taught the value of hard work and perseverance, and to take pride in a job well done. >8. Respect privacy: Kids were taught to respect others' privacy and personal space, and to keep their own belongings and personal information private. Regardless of how people think about the usefulness or malignity of this rule set, they're meant to create adults in the traditional sense. The falling away from them I don't think was so much of a personal or intentional choice, but an unconscious consequence from the destabilization that resulted from many factors but primarily the development of mass youth culture as distinct and orthogonal to traditional culture. "You can't trust anyone over 30" was really a canary in the coal mine for adulthood in retrospect. --- 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljihhFggHTI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljihhFggHTI