Turning 18 (Becoming an Adult)

[Lady Macaiodh]

[COLOR=darkblue][size=1]I'm not sure how it works in other countries, but in America, turning 18 is a pretty big deal. You become a legal adult, you no longer have to answer to your parents, you get in a lot more trouble for crimes you commit, you can buy or sell many more things, you can pretty much control your own life, etc.

I think every one of us has said at some point, "I wish I was 18, then I wouldn't have to deal with [such & such]." But turning 18 isn't always what it's cracked up to be.

So I have some questions (if your country isn't the same, just apply whatever age):

1) For those under 18: What do you think it will be like, and why do you want it to happen (what benefits for you)?

2) For those over 18: How was it different than you thought it would be? Were you disappointed or did turning 18 live up to what you thought? How did things change?[/size][/COLOR]

[XeEmO]

Well I have 2 more years before i'm 18 and I don't really see what the big deal is. Sure it'll be nice to officially be an adult but not a lot will change. But what I am looking forward to is going off to college and living on my own. I might take a year off before I go but whatever I do i'm sure i'll have fun.

[GrimmFang]

Well I'm 20 going on 21 in about 2 months. When I reached 18 nothing really changed except I could be out after my township's gay curfew of like 10:00pm. All in all it's pretty much what I expected.

[juna]

Laf - the grass is always greener.

When I was 16 - I wanted to be 18.
When I turned 18 - I couldn?t wait for 21.
25 hit this year and I want to be 16 again.

Age is funny, most kids now a days (kids in this statement referring to anyone with "teen" suffixed to their age), are maturing at a faster rate through being exposed to social and technological "advances". The only thing being 18 offers a person anymore is the ability to legally buy cigarettes. *Enter sarcastic woo-hoo* the same thing for 21, *Wow, I get to go into a bar* I don't know about anyone else, but I was offered drinks well before I ever stepped foot inside a bar (No, I'm not promoting "under age drinking") *evil grin*

Age is not a definer as to who we are, just in some cases what bonehead things we are allowed to do.

[TheShinje]

[size=1] I turned 18 last year, I though it was going to be so great, because I'd be allowed to drink :alcohol:

However, I haven't really felt the urge to drink, so all my 18 + Identification has done is allowed me to vote V_V

The party i wanted didn't get in.
[/size]

[Kaola Su]

Well, I am 18 now and I don't drink or smoke b/c I am staight-edge and I try to live my life clean of drugs, alcohol, and smoking, but I was only excited to get Tattoos!!! I got my 1st one the day I turned 18 too! I cried, but shhhhhhh, don't tell anyone that I cried! But other than that is was just a normal year! BTW, if you are going to get tattoos, be aware! THEY ARE ADDICTIVE!

Kaola

P.S. Where I live in Georgia, you have to be 18 to get tattoos and before 18 you aren't even allowed to have a parent sign for it!

[Guest Kuwabara]

I just turned 18 less than a month ago (on May 20th) and I'd like to say that nothing special really happened. It didn't feel any different, even though I knew I was legally an adult and that I could do a lot more things legally now. That was OK news, but the overall day wasn't so great, I mean, my parents forgot my birthday as well as half of my friends. Oh well, what are you gonna do?

[amibasuki]

[FONT=arial]turning 18's not gonna be too big a deal, since I'll still be in high school living with my parents, so I won't have a say-so in what I can and can't do anyway ('You live in my house, you go by my rules!'). although I guess having the legal [i]right[/i] to stay out as late as you want is alright :cross:. then there's voting. the thing I'm looking forward to is graduating highschool.[/FONT]

[Manic Webb]

Well, i'm 18 (turning 19 on the 21st of this month) and becoming "legal" didn't change how I felt. Getting my driver's license a couple months later did. :)

I remember I didn't do anything on my 18th birthday. I just sat at home. I didn't feel any older or more mature. Even after somebody threw me a belated party a couple weeks after my 18th birthday, I didn't feel that much older. I still live at home with my grandparents and everything. All I can do now is buy cigarettes, and I don't even smoke.

The thing about turning 18 is that it didn't define anything about any of the changes I was going through. I graduated high school a couple days [i]before[/i] I turned 18, I got a license 4 months afterward, and got a car & started college nearly a year after turning 18. The only thing I'm looking forward to (while I'm still under 21) is getting a job without an underage work permit.

[Avalon]

[color=deeppink]I turned 18 in April...it really wasn't as special as I thought it would be. The only thing that I was happy about was that I could get my piercing without having my mother to allow it. That was joy.[/color]

[Semjaza]

It doesn't matter to me.

I can smoke now. Whoa! I could have smoked 10 years prior honestly. I have no desire to do that within my lifetime.

I can vote. What a freaking hassle that can be... especially the local elections, where I have to vote for so many people I don't even know what's going on. They're all pretty much wretched people as it is.

I was stuck in Selective Service. I'm sure nothing will come of this, and sometimes I wonder if I'd even mind it if I was pulled into the service. Who knows. Could go both ways.

I can get stuff pierced without parental permission (at least here in Chicago). This is a slight benefit I guess heh.

I get called for jury duty. The last time I was called it wasn't even real jury duty. It was standy. I got to sit in a room for 16 hours while they decided if they even needed me in a trial. Of course, they never did.

So really, it's nothing special in my opinion. Nineteen was a useless birthday. Twenty was only good because I was no longer a teenager... And 21 would be enjoyable if I even had any desire to drink. I'm against all those sorts of things though. Apparently a dying breed if I go by all the people I know.

So eh. Same old crap. Stuff you have been able to do for years is just suddenly easier to do (not to mention legal). Everything else feels like more of a hassle than anything else. I'd rather be 17 again at this point.

[PiroMunkie]

[size=1]Seven months. Three Weeks. Three days.

The time I have until I am eighteen.


I am mostly looking forward to not having to abide by my parent's non-sensical parenting. They are far too conservative for my likings. I rebel enough against them as it is, it will be even more to them when I can just oppose them and they cannot do anything about it. My mom will not kick me out of the house, she is too motherly for that. My dad says, "Once you turn eighteen, it is only considered assualt and not child abuse." I just tell him, "I shall fight back and plead self-defense."

Other than that... *shrugs* Tattoos I can get without parental permission. I already have basic plans in my head. Possibly piercings.

I do not smoke, nor do I care to. So everything I have mentioned is all I am really looking forward to.

I am not expecting becoming a legal adult is going to be a 24/7 party or anything, but I imagine it will come with some relief.[/size]

[Kaola Su]

Trust me, I still live with my parents and am 18 and even though by law you can stay out until all hours and get piercings and tattoos, if my parents are puttin a roof over my head, they still make my laws!!! I can't stay out past 11 pm and if I get another tattoo they said they will kick me out. Also they said if I get any facial piercings I get kicked out too. They maybe stricter than some of yours are, but you will still have to do as they say no matter how old you are if you are living with them! So I am doing good if I am not kicked out for tattoos and piercings! XD!

Kaola

[Kent]

Im 21 going on 22.

When I turned 18, the only things different were the fact that I could vote or be prosecuted for certain devious acts, if I was to take them, with a minor.

Basically, I think that juna explained it the best.

Only I can say there is one thing in his/her statment I cant support. (just yet)

That being... "wish I was 16 again."

I dont wish that yet, but I know the day will come where all of us wish for our youth to return to us.

I pray we all enjoy our lives and appreciate the lives we have been given.

We can enjoy life at any age.

[PiroMunkie]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Kaola Su[/i]
[B]Trust me, I still live with my parents and am 18 and even though by law you can stay out until all hours and get piercings and tattoos, if my parents are puttin a roof over my head, they still make my laws!!! I can't stay out past 11 pm and if I get another tattoo they said they will kick me out. Also they said if I get any facial piercings I get kicked out too. They maybe stricter than some of yours are, but you will still have to do as they say no matter how old you are if you are living with them! So I am doing good if I am not kicked out for tattoos and piercings! XD![/B][/QUOTE][size=1]Heh, I am not one to be sedated. No matter what my parents do, they can never take away the integrity and just overall independence I have. Even now, they can ground me all they want. Recently they took away my privledge to go online... so I just practiced my guitar while telling them why that punishment is pointless and unreasonable to begin with. Eventually they get tired of it and lift the punishment thinking I have actually learned a lesson; totally oblivious that it is they who should have learned something. I had no problem with having the internet revoked for a period of time.

When it comes to piercings, I do not think they would really care. They may not like it, but they would get used to it. They did not like it when I started wearing chains (actual chains, mine are actually choke collars that my dog has grown out of), but they have gotten used to that. They did not neccesarily like it when I started growing my hair out, but it is now about two inches below my chin.

I have no idea how they would react to tattoos, but really, what are they going to do? They would not spend the money to get them removed. My mom will not kick me out of the house, because her maternal instincts would make her feel guilty. Even if she [i]did[/i] I could always just go stay with a friend until she took me back. My dad cannot actually do much because he lives out farther away, so he has no house to kick me out of and I am sure he is joking when he says "it is only assault and not child abuse." If he is not, I shall still fight back. I do not care who he is; if they push, then I shove.

Once I get my own computer then they are really going to be screwed. Even now, I am actually not supposed to be online. I am "only allowed to be on until 1 AM". It is currently 1:13 AM. They could monitor my time when we had AOL, but now that we have Cox they cannot do that. It is really simple to just close windows out and have something else open like a game or Photoshop to make it seem like I was doing something else. I type out my posts (like this one) in Notepad so I can close out of OB if I am working on a post and not have to worry about losing what I was typing. So once I get the money to afford my own computer, they cannot put any limits on that at all because it would be [i]mine[/i]. I know that, because that is how they have worked.

I am not even going to go into having a car as well. I just need to get one.


Over the past couple years I think my parents have slowly been learning the more they try to hold me down, the more I am going to fight back.

My dad says I "live in an unrealistic world". It is not unrealistic, it is just unconventional. There is a difference and he knows that, but will not admit it.

I know with age comes freedom, and with freedom comes responsibility. I totally accept that, and plan to use it to the best of my ability.

[ Theme song for this post: [i]Perfect Fit[/i] - AFI ][/size]

[Transtic Nerve]

I never felt any different. In fact the only thing I feel is just like an old foogie. The way I see it, 18 is the last year you have to enjoy your youht, cause when you turn 19 it hits you. You're old. then 20! half way to 40! gah.

[SaiyanPrincessX]

I'll be turning 18 September 2004. I'm not looking forward to it. I don't plan on drinking, smoking, or doing [I]any[/I] type of drug so its really no big deal to me. I'm dreading it more than anything else because everything is going to get harder after that. -_-;

[Fall]

Man I can't wait' till I'm 18. I've got a whole list of things I can do once I hit that age. Stuff that'd I'd get the crap torn out of me if I done now. I could still do these things now and not let my parents find out.. but.. you know..

22 November 2008 is it. 5 years. Damn.

[Guest cloricus]

I am 16.673072 years old. Turning 18 to me doesn't really mean much. Right now I can drink, smoke, drive and have sex. The last two I can do legally. The penalty for underage smoking is $1 a cigarette, drinking in your own home is legal. My father has no problem if I drink as long as it is in front of him or he is aware of it. Though I hardly ever drink. The only thing it really means is some of the things I (sometimes) do online and irl have higher legal penalties and that I will be able to gamble.

-eps-

[(<AA>)]

Well, first of all, Piro, I'm now rethinking the Idea of having kids 'cuz of you... and second of all, I can't wait for college/drivers license. I don't give to much thought to my age, and I've noticed that alot of people here are very mature. That sucks...
Oh yeah, and I don't plan on drinking, smoking, or having premarital sex... but that might change...
PS:4 years, 4 weeks, and 2 days to 18-dom...

[Queen Asuka]

[color=hotpink][size=1]I don't feel any different. The only things that are different is that I drive and my parents wont give me money anymore. It's stupid. And they say I need to have more responsibility. And they are letting me get an apartment in Athens.

My parents were never really strict, but of course, I never really desired to do alot of things that were "bad."[/color][/size]

[Heaven's Cloud]

[color=indigo]It seems that the older I get the less mature I become. I like being in my early twenties but I wouldn't mind being 12 again, it was so much easier back then...

The responsibilities and the freedoms that I recieved as I grew older tend to balance out. I guess at this stage of my life I am in eternal conflict between whether I would enjoy being at a bar more then a playground...[/color]

[Erika]

Well, I'm turning 18 this August...but it doesn't matter much to me anyways. It's just a double-digit number :rolleyes:

I just won't be a minor anymore, and I can finally go to R-rated movies, games, anime, etc. w/o an "adult" (in which most are boring and no fun to watch/play and hardly mess w/it all) but oh well, I have my dumb ID card, so that shouldn't be a problem just in case.

I hate driving...it's a pain in the a** and a waste of money...I prefer to do whatever 'n the hell I want, which is why my friends think I can be 'weird' sometimes. I can fly, take a bus, or walk (if I'm in town)...I mean, to get to the shops on a main road or something, you have to freakin' parallel park, etc. but the mall is another story. I could just WALK there and not spend about half an hour looking for a parking spot.

I dunno. I'm also gonna miss my youth. For some God-forsaken reason, ppl expect you to "change" or "mature" at a given age. We're not robots programmed with a special chip or whatever and thus at a certain time we change. What, we're not emotional Transformers, are we? To me, growing up is being responsible and being able to channel your emotions in a good way, or more appropriately, responsibly, and also being able to do things for yourself. It depends on how you were raised, that makes a big difference. For example, my dad doesn't live with us, and my brother is in college, so I have to mow the lawn. Well, my mom used to. My younger sister said I was "being lazy and having mom do all the work when I should do it." Well, the problem was my mom never TAUGHT me to mow the lawn. Parents are supposed to teach their kids all kinds of things you do can on your own. The other day she finally quit doing it, taught me, and now I know how to check the filter, oil, and gas, as well as operate the blasted thing and actually mow. Now it's no problem, and it's easier on her back (she's got a back-disease).

And also, some ppl call other ppl "momma's boy" or whatever just because they live with their, or parents. Well, maybe Dad's gone or Mom's gone and they need help around the house. Truth is, way back when, it was normal, and even a good thing, to have a family (or not) and live at your parents' house and all live together and help each other under the same roof. It'd be easier though, if the house was big. :p What I'm sayin' is, ppl shouldn't judge a person's "independance" or other bull by where he lives. He could be the most responsible guy in the world and live with his mom, just because he cares about her. I mean, really. I wouldn't wanna leave my mom on an island just to do "whatever I want" if she really needs someone to keep her company.

But if she doesn't need anyone, then that's fine.

As an adult, I just hope my "fun side" doesn't disappear. Why would I sacrifice having fun to well....not having fun? How can you expect to be friends w/a stiff?? Maturity is able to control oneself and take responsibility for things, and being that itself. There's physical, emotional and mental maturity. Keeping a car is responsibility, and so is a pet or some screaming little kid that lacks certan discipline.

No matter what though, I'll always play games and watch "cartoons," as ppl dub animations as. It's so derrogatory, isn't it? "cartoons"....psh...

[BabyGirl]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Manic [/i]
[B]Well, i'm 18 (turning 19 on the 21st of this montth} [/B][/QUOTE]

[color=deeppink]You have the same birthday as my boyfriend, only he's turning 21 ^_^

The only thing about turning 18 that was fun was the fact that I could buy cigarettes and lottery tickets. But the first time I legally bought a pack (simply because I could), I didn't even get carded. That took the fun out of it.

The piercing thing never excited me either because I got my navel pierced when I was 17 because my mom took me and signed for it.

I can vote now...but I don't see the point in voting in a California election [yet] when my roots are still in Michigan. ...Yet is a funny word...

I guess it's 'legal' for me to have sex now, but I didn't have sex until I had turned 18 anyway.

I think that my 19th birthday will be the most exciting until I turn 21. When I'm in Michigan I live about an hour and half from the Canadian border, so I can go over there and drink.

Overall though, I think that 18 is a fun age. I'm old enough to have legal responsibilites, but not too old to be considered completely responsible for every aspect of my life (especially the financial part of it...)

Oh, I guess there IS that getting into 18+ night clubs, that's a definite plus ;)[/color]

[Red]

[color=002E55]When I turn 18.. it's all about getting a nice fast bike. That's really one of the main things, lol. That, and some sort of car if the cost of insurance has gone down.

When I turn 17 on the 19th of September (little reminder to all of you.. *Cough*), I can get a 125cc bike; which will be fun for that year.

The thing is - smoking is legal for me now due to British laws, and heck, if I wanted to go drink alcohol until my eyes turned pink and everyone I saw was my 'wife', I could. Not legally, mind you, but easy to obtain and do regardless.

I take a lot of responsibility for what I do now. My parents will give me money for the basic stuff like going out or whatever, but if I want to buy something I have to earn the money for it. Unless, of course, I use the 'teenage powers of persuasion'. ;)[/color]