Each stage of life is unique. Your Childhood is full of endless wonder.  Your teen years are all about independence.  When you turn twenty-one you can drink—legally—and take your time having fun and experimenting with whatever.  Then you hit your thirties. Suddenly the dust is supposed to settle, and you are an adult.

But social psychologists observed something interesting: Not all thirty-somethings are ready to be card-carrying adults, so they created a new life stage and named it “emerging adulthood.”

And, oh my, do “emerging adults” ever have stories to tell!

The following prompts will get you started:

Tell a story about your real job—not the job you thought you’d have when you were a kid.

When you were in your twenties, you probably didn’t even head out the door until after 11PM. Now that you’re in your thirties, do you sometimes sit on the couch until it’s no longer too early to go to bed? Tell that story.

Tell a story about how you dressed in your twenties compared to how you dress in your thirties.

Tell a story about dating in your thirties compared to your twenties. 

What is your opinion of “social media” dating?  Tell a story about  social media dating.

Tell a story about when you knew you had to face up to being an adult.

Tell a story about how your body is different as a thirty-something compared to when you were in your twenties.

Tell a story about what it means for a thirty-something to have a “productive weekend.”

Have you spotted your first gray hair? Tell that story.

Have you spotted your first “crows’ feet”? Do you get Botox or other anti-aging treatments? Why? Tell that story.

I once had a thirty-something tell me, “I get excited about a restaurant’s location because it’s close to Target, and I need to buy laundry soap.” Can you relate? Tell that story.

Tell a story about the difference between being spontaneous in your twenties compared to your thirties.

Tell a story about what it means to be an adult.