When Does A Child Become An Adult?
Posted by Evan Bailyn on Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 with 0 comments
People tend to talk about childhood and adulthood like they are completely distinct phases of life. One is supposed to be an early period of growth, where a person undergoes great physical and psychological changes. The other is supposed to be a time when a person goes about achieving his long-term goals, which usually includes working and starting a family. Between childhood and adulthood is adolescence, a time when one’s decisions and experiences determine the type of adult one will become. It is interesting to think about where exactly in that hazy time of life one officialy becomes an adult. Is it when you get the keys to your first car? Is it when you take your first job? Is it when you finally leave your parent’s home? Does this point even occur during so-called adolesence, or does adulthood actually arrive when you are in your early thirties?
Accoring to the American legal system, there is a definitive age of adulthood. Lawmakers have determined that people who are 18 or 21 should be able to take on adult privileges like gambling, voting, owning a gun, and marrying. But this does not necessarily imply that 18 or 21 year-olds are adults; nor does it even imply that lawmakers consider them so. The purpose of this definition of adulthood is practical only. It is a rough estimation that lawmakers were willing to settle on because they believed that most people in this age range could handle adult responsibilities.
Writers and artists throughout the ages have offered a popular definition of childhood and adulthood—that it is a state of mind. As true as this may feel for many people, it is not a good definition because it has no boundaries at all. Should an older person who feels energetic be called a child? Not any more than a serious ten year-old should be called an adult.
There are many other possible answers to the question of when exactly a child becomes an adult. People have said that adulthood begins with financial independence, with the end of formal schooling, with getting married…Some have even suggested that adulthood begins when you stop wishing that you were older.
In fact, there is truth to all these statements, but they have a common thread. Adulthood begins when you lose the feeling of protection you have had all your life, giving way to a security of your own. This can happen at thirteen or thirty-five. But the strongest sign of adulthood is having a child of your own, for then you are expected to do everything your parents did for you, for somebody else.
From my point of view , This is one type to becoming an adult obviouslyis a total transition in your life. First, to be an adult have many privileges like voting, marrying ,getting your first car , caring for your childrens,etc.Second , we don´t know the exactly age to become an adult , I like in the way that the age of 30 or 45 we are totally an adult .Finally,it´s a differen level of our lifes , so we have to take ourself to become a better person .
ReplyDeleteI agree that a person becomes an adult when he or she stop wishing that he/she were older/adult. In my point of view, that's an interesting way to define the transition from childhood to adulthood, but I would add that it is also a state of our minds... because of the experiences we've collected in our lifes, so for example: A person that had have many troubles while he/she was growing up, will remember it for all his following years of live, 'cause know how terrible his situaton was, and mature earlier than the other, but a person that had have a carefree life, well probably won't mature until he/she know how life can treat people, making them suffer a lot, they probably don't know how is to be in a lack of food, and they take it easy. I think that it's basicaly in the experiences we have lived so far.
ReplyDeleteVarinia Mancilla Garcia
The idea that "Evan Bailyn" try to give us is that there is not a pinpoint to know if you are a childhood or adulthood some people think that the mayority of the population become a adulthood when you have 18 or 21 years old but some times the people don't mature at all at that age for that is not a exatly age to became an adult. So the entitled on my opinion of this article is that you can became an adulthood no mater if you have 10 or 31 years old the only thinq that is depence of this is the experence that you have in your life.
ReplyDeleteEvelyn Fiorella Sierra Allende
I think that all that it´s here are right because for me it´s truth that one person becomes an adult when he or she lose the feeling of protection, it would be comes from the parents or other persons that take care of you, the person would be an adult at any age because I think that all it´s on you, you would be an adult if you want it, probably it can´t happens when you bought a car, or take your first job, I think that it could happens when you take all your responsabilities alone or when you have a baby, because with that you have mre responsabilities and doesn´t think only on you,you take are of all the people that you love (parents, wife, childrens)........Fernanda Somocurcio
ReplyDeletei think that is a interesting article ,because it is show when the child grow and is an adult.There are different ideas of that topic and it mention important things and privileges that and adult should have between 18 or 21 years old.i konw that there many aswer of that topic but i think that a child become an adult when the person is responsable of his or her actions.
ReplyDeleteI don't gree with the opinion that some parents decide when does her daughter or his son is an adult , i think it's something stupid because a person decide when is the perfect time to say ''i'm an adult and i have to confront the life, i have to be more responsable and confront some problems that i will have in my life''. For me that's my personal point of opinion.
ReplyDeleteIn the article i agree with the final paragraph ,because it's real, when a person have a child he or she assumes a big responsability and try to be more responsable because they know that they will do everything that their parents did for them, and they will do for somebody else.
Jorge Antonio Chambi Chavez.
We dont know when a kid become an adult, there is not an exactly time bu many people well many young people think that when he or she will have the majority of age they could do what ever they want,what ever they do, that is wrong!! the majority of age not mean freedon it means responsability for all things that someone does or says, in my case i live alone only with my big brother practically alone because he works far away, i work all day and only i study at nigth, I am not yet an adult because i depend of my mom because she helps me all the time, i pay my studies, my clothes, my food, those thing make me feel like an adult and i am so happy with that...
ReplyDeletebut who knows when a kid is becoming an adult it depend of oneself, of someone, there is not an exactly time.
I think that we can't explain the transition from childhood to adulthood exactly, because it happens later in some cases and earlier in other cases. Some people mature in order of something bad or god that happened to them, but other persons, just mature because thay are old. I believe that age doesn't define if we are mature or immature, but it helps us to realize that we have new responsabilities and abilities that we have to use. In the other hand, parents are an important influence in our transition from childhood to adulthood, because when we are childs they protect us more than we are adults, and sometimes they influence when we need to mature. There are many examples of parents that still treating their daughters or sons like babies, so is more difficult to them to assume adult's responsabilities. I'm saying that maturity, is not definated for the age or parents, although they are importants factors.
ReplyDeleteI think that is true that we don't know when we became adulta it just happen can be when you feel that yo can have a family or when you feel that yo can take your own decisions.If you decided to become an adult, just do it, it's not necessary to have 18 or 19 years it depends on you itimplies that you have responsabilities or obligations for example take care of your kids because they will consider you their model or take responsability of your own house.Finally I say that that the madurity just happen when you are ready to take control of your life and you know what you have to do with your life,aty least you think it just happen
ReplyDeleteObviously the legal age to become an adult is 18. however I don´t think age has anything to do with it at all. there is no answer and age also children aven as old of 19 may not be responsible for their actions as some children brain and cognitive performance develop in life I mean if you have a child that has been sheltered their entire life and then thrust out into the real world are we not them failure? Are they truly able to appreciate the seriousness of their actions if they have never known consequences. In fact aperson who have passed through problems ,responsabilities, and situations were you have to decide something very important you can become an adult, its all about accumulated experience.
ReplyDeletei think this is true but it is a little bit contradictorybecause laws said that a person from 18 years old is and adult hence he or she is economical independent and is responsible of his or her acts but it is just in theory because in our society when a person is 18,19,20...years old is not yet independent of his or her parents and is probably afterwards 30 years old a person is totally independent but this is depends of person personality and environment where a person grew.
ReplyDeleteThe text is very interesting. I agree with idea. That people have lost the sense of parental protection. People to become adults finish school and to become older people have financial independence and we must also be aware of our actions and accept consequence for their actions and to solve problems without the help of anyone. But I also think it is very important to know the problems that exist in society. Whether in the political, economic, social and cultural, and the most important. Is when a person comes to starting a family with children. It is stage where you become an adult. Through experiences and responsibilities that you have to take at home.
ReplyDeleteatt:kelly gonzales huayhua
in my opinion i think that childhood and adulthood are completely different phases of our life so that is why i think that being an adult is to have a lot of responsabilities and it goes with growing mentally ,some people grow up faster because maybe they faced some problems in treir lifes and that kind of situacion makes people to be adult.
ReplyDeleteThis article is very interesting because it is very difficult to determine at what age we become truly adult. I think a person become and adult when he or she knows make decisions and accept the consequences of those decisions.
ReplyDeleteI believe our actions determine our maturity, acting responsibly is important to become adults.
CAMILA F. BALLIVIAN M.