Dr. Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, who coined the term “emerging adulthood,” is the world’s leading authority on this developmental stage that spans from age 18 to 29. His book, Getting to 30: A Parent’s Guide to the 20-Something Years answers the questions: Will our child ever leave home, find love, start a career, settle down, and act like a grown-up? Arnett offers a new perspective with tools to deal with the challenges of emerging adulthood, including goal-setting as well as how to listen more (and the things better left unsaid), sharing household responsibilities, money-management strategies, and career advice dos and don’ts.
Dr. Arnett is a research professor in the psychology department at Clark University and the author of Emerging Adulthood, the book that brought attention to this new stage of life. He debunks the popular trope of twenty-somethings as slackers, and through his research shows that a gradual transition away from parents during this time often means better outcomes for relationships and outlooks for the future. Arnett is a popular and frequent speaker nationwide at organizations devoted to family relations and therapy, parenting, social work, and college counseling and admissions. He founded the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood (ssea.org) and is a father to twins in their twenties.
