Thread: Are you an "adult"?

Im with hassun, i think its fine way it is.

1. Research into the affects of sex and childbirth indicate that it is better for a persons health if they wait to have sex/childbirth until they are at least 21.

This may be, but raising the adulthood to 21 wont keep people form having sex and getting pregnant. Just will make pedophiles out of some guys. So nothings accomplished form rasing the age there.

2. Research into the effects of alcohol consumption have found that damage to the brain from excessive drinking is usually permanent if it takes place before the age 23-24. The same ages that it is most likely to occur. (After that to counter the effects one has merely to stop drinking.)

Again making the adulthood age higher wont stop ppl from drinking. Just like having to be 21 doesn't stop underage drinking. It will just make it harder. Also not everyone drink to the extreme that it damages your brain.

3. Studies into mental maturation discovered that people do their most changing mentally between the age of 18-21. After 21 one has finished maturing mentally.

Well the people who did these studies sure the hell didnt meet my family. Yes the "most changing mentally", but it dont mean they can be fairly mature.

So with all the arguing people do about what the proper age for buying alcohol etc is (say 16/18/21) I am thinking we should go in the opposite direction. Raise the age of adulthood to at least 21 and legal alcohol consumption to 23 or 24 (voting ages would of course follow).

I feel that young people have to get out on their own sometime, and break away from mommy and daddy. Learn to be young responsible adults. To me there isn't a big difference between 18 and 21. So to me its better for them to get started early. The sooner they get started, the sooner they can become mature adults, And join the workforce and become productive members of society. Raising the age only delays this. We all have to start learning sometime.

So if we make them adults at 21, it wont be till like 25 or 26 till they become somewhat mature. Where as now the become pretty mature 22 or 23. Eighteen is the age they go off to college to learn their skills and prepare for the workforce. So it make sense to make them adults then. To learn their skills, and learn how to be full grown adults at the same time.

I would have to say that people arent really a mature adult untill they are 21. As your research shows most of a persons maturing happens between 18 and 21, I don't think that this is nessasarily because of biology. At 18 a person becomes legally responsible for themselves and is in a sense on their own and must mature. The added responsibility is a key factor in mental maturity if you ask me anyways.

I just realized I wrote that entire post with no sarcasm, is there a weird planetary allignment going on?

well its kind of tricky...
as gren said:

Originally Posted by gren

But this could come with its own set of issues; for instance, students who go to directly from high school to college at 18, and live off campus in an apartment. Would they be able to open bank accounts, sign a lease, or set up bills in their own names if they aren't considered adults?

I know a couple of people that got their first house when they were 25. If they would have needed to be 21 to be legal adults and with the issues that gren described, I don't think any of them would have been able to accomplish that.
Raising the age for being legal would not only affect the legal part of people's lives(issues described by gren and more) but also the social/psychological part. Maturing is growing up in terms of physical appearance, behavior and thinking(took that form a dictionary) but we get to this point in our life's after we have our own experiences and learned about what we have lived. With more restrictions on young adults, they could probably take more time to mature.
Another factor we must consider, is the fact that mind and body may not mature at the same time.(this can lead to another topic so Im not going to develop on that one)
Raising the legal age just because of drugs(drinking, smoking, anything) wouldn't change much. As long as there is demand there will always be a way to supply.
A change in the age for being legal would also affect the economy.(I wont develop on this one either)
I don't think if someone is mature enough to be labeled as a legal responsible adult should be based on age. All of us mature at different times in our life's. But if we have to put an age into it I say it should be 18.
There are many ways in which a change legal age could affect the country, all of them too broad to begin to describe them(that way I didn't develop much on economy and body and mid not maturing at the same time). We need to consider all of them before we change it. And I don't think the reasons Arrianna gave are enough for a change to the legal age.

^_^ i think that the voting age should stay at 18, it's never too early to start a good habit!

Go out and vote! You don't have a right to complain if you didn't and things aren't going the way you want! Voting is the one sure way to tell the government what's up!

>.> of course... there are other varying circumstances that affect it... but still! Vote! it's fun!

Anyways, back to the mainer(?) topic. I think that if everyone stopped caring so much about drinking, things would turn for the better! What's so great about alcohol? Being able to order a "Wierd Drink Thing n Rum" maybe fun and all, but how does it say that you've become the mature person you think you are? Cuz you can get drunk? Do you respect "adults" that drink to get drunk?

Another thing, perhaps if we treated children more maturly(?) from the start, maybe they wouldn't have such a hard time growing up.

Case n point, in the 1800s at the age of 14 you were married, were already apprenticed in a trade or helping/running a farm. Now, a lot of people think it's becuz they died at 40, so it's to get a jump start. However, what if that's a way to curb the need to prove adulthood by drinking and such? Children were treated as adults, and so they became responsible as adults would.

That in NO WAY says i agree with all their methods for children, including the Industrial Revolution (even though that was 1700s? i can't remember). Or that the people were so much better then, they certainly had faults too.

Just saing, children are not lesser beings becuz they don't understand the world. If you treat them with respect and as mature people, they will most likely respond positivly.

^_^ i think that the voting age should stay at 18, it's never too early to start a good habit!

Go out and vote! You don't have a right to complain if you didn't and things aren't going the way you want! Voting is the one sure way to tell the government what's up!

Agreed.

I think that if everyone stopped caring so much about drinking, things would turn for the better! What's so great about alcohol? Being able to order a "Wierd Drink Thing n Rum" maybe fun and all, but how does it say that you've become the mature person you think you are? Cuz you can get drunk? Do you respect "adults" that drink to get drunk?

Nope. You should worry about drinking, no matter what your age is and / or how immature you are. Being an adult doesn’t necessarily have to come with brains and age. It comes from within themselves and how they react to a particular situation. About the adults getting drunken thing, if you’re older alcohol doesn’t affect you as much as when you’re 16 or 18, because it’s strong stuff. Even though everyone who takes alcohol more than they should they do get drunk but car accidents due to drink driving are more common in young people, let’s say 16-23 years?

Another thing, perhaps if we treated children more maturly(?) from the start, maybe they wouldn't have such a hard time growing up.

Case n point, in the 1800s at the age of 14 you were married, were already apprenticed in a trade or helping/running a farm. Now, a lot of people think it's becuz they died at 40, so it's to get a jump start. However, what if that's a way to curb the need to prove adulthood by drinking and such? Children were treated as adults, and so they became responsible as adults would.

Not everyone can make it, trust me They had old point of views. If you're 14 now and you're told to help run a business it's gonna be hard for some or most of the kids right? ^^; Depends.

Well in Britain, you count as and Adult when your 18 as you can basically do everything a 21year old can. Except from drive an HGV (unless your in the army) or get cheaper car insurance

I personally don't care if I'm an adult or not. Sure, I can be mature when I want to and/or need to, but life is for living so you still need a small degree of childish in you. I believe a person is truley an adult when they actually take-on responsabilities and are able to manage them. I know a few people who are in their 30's that still have trouble going to work for a whole week and love to get drunk 3-4 times a week.

Well... acording to Costarican Laws I became an adult when I turned 18.... If I am or not.... well... I can get serious and mature when the situation requires that from me... otherwise.... I chill out and live.

It is also how one takes the meaning of being adult. For me it is not a Party life.... parties are not for me.... so i don't define being on parties equals being adult. I define being adult when one learns to take responsabilities from oneself's actions....