What is it about NYT writers?

What Is It About 20-Somethings? (New York Times)

 Flipping through the troves of the internet on a sleepless night, I came across an article that I might not otherwise pay attention to, entitled What Is It About 20-Somethings? Being on the verge of 32 this year, I don't really care about 20-somethings, I still, secretly, want to be one.  But I did spend the last 12 years of my life mostly with 20-somethings, so I thought I would give it a glance.  Things were going well until I hit this statement:

The traditional cycle seems to have gone off course, as young people remain un­tethered to romantic partners or to permanent homes, going back to school for lack of better options, traveling, avoiding commitments, competing ferociously for unpaid internships or temporary (and often grueling) Teach for America jobs, forestalling the beginning of adult life. 

You are right, Robin Marantz Henig, I spent most of my life avoiding commitment to people or places.  I have not yet finished my third degree and I am planning what I want for my fourth.  I spent the entire summer after my college graduation traveling.  But, please take note.  While I appreciate you acknowledging that being a part of TFA is "often grueling", it, in no way, is the forestalling of the beginning of adult life.

Being entwined in the lives of hundreds of children that are caught in one of the greatest civil rights tragedies of our nation, having to make a report to Child Services, about a family you know is doing the best they can, these are not the things that help us avoid adulthood.  Trying to prove that you are a part of a community where you are an obvious outsider, explaining what a child needs to a 43-year-old mother-of-5 when you are a 22-year-old mother-of-none, these are the things that push us over the edge of adulthood at 2 of a 10-count.  

Say what you will about avoiding adulthood, but choose your examples wisely.  My experience in Teach For America is the greatest growth I have ever had, and expect to ever have in my life.  It is the defining moment in how I learned to grow, to be a professional, to give and receive criticisms, and to make tough decisions and have courageous conversations, in short, how to be an adult.  It is in the midst of this, that I found permanence and commitment, and a life-long devotion to working towards the elimination of the achievement gap.