Adult Competence

I was standing behind the television trying to work out which cord connected to what. At some point, major technology decisions in my house appear to have been quietly delegated to my in-house IT support. Who is my son.

I was attempting to connect a Nintendo Switch and waiting for further instructions via Snapchat. Which felt like a surprisingly fragile position for someone who had spent years leading teams and navigating organisational complexity. My qualifications, experience and accumulated adult confidence meant absolutely nothing behind the television.

There are now so many passwords involved in daily life that resetting them feels like part of the login process. An alarming amount of adult competence appears to depend on remembering to defrost something.

It's funny how different adulthood looked from a distance. I assumed there would be a point where everything felt more certain. More organised. More under control. Instead, one day you're making long-term life plans. The next you're standing in the living room being advised to "Just try the other HDMI input, Mum."

Which, now that I think about it, feels like a fairly accurate description of adulthood.