Is there really some huge change that happens within these next 11 months or so before I'm 18 that somehow signifies me as an adult if not, what's the point in making 18 the all magical age of adulthood?
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ANSWERS: 8
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I don't know where the whole being 18 makes you an adult came from, but really, even people who are 30 still act like they are high school. I guess people figure that most 18 year olds are graduating high school and going to college, so it seemed like a good idea to claim that the adult age.
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Ha ha - no. Nothing magical happens. When they make the laws, they have to pick a number. They picked 18. Nothing special happens, you don't magically attain some level of maturity or intelligence... it's just the age they picked. I'm 27 and I'm still not sure that I deserve to be called an adult... but, legally, I've been one for 9 years. Just keep on learning and growing the way you are now, and you'll be fine. Don't worry about what happens at 18.
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Since there has to be a specific place to draw the line, many factors were used to reach a consensus, and the age of 18 was chosen. It doesn't apply to any one individual person, but is an overall. Some 18 year olds are very immature, and some have shown maturity for a long time before turning 18. Just as the age to start school, or the age insurance companies decide you get a break on your rate (25), or any other "generalization", it's all in the mathematical average. Believe me, on the day before your 18th birthday, you won't feel any different than you do the day after. In fact, I'm 64 and I don't feel any different :-)
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I'm sorry, but I would like to know why this question deserved a downrate. Because that was a big one, a -4. So if you care to share, I'm all ears.
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In some tribal cultures, adulthood was signified by more obvious things like - Getting your period - Killing a large animal - Getting circumcised - Going away on a sort of 'transformational camp' - Doing a ceremonial dance - Combinations of above. In the western civilisations, The reason for making a particular number (18) for adulthood is really because the leaders are too lazy to figure out how to economically and socially govern society while individually assessing a person's 'state of maturity'. It makes sense because the costs and arguments that would arise might make individual assessment very difficult to implement.
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Believe me nothing will change on your 18th birthday (unless your parents throw you out!) It's just a simplified categorization of which society and legality are all full of. Pluto is a planet that is slightly an asteroid. But humans categorize so either it's a planet or it's not. So they make it a "dwarf planet." But this is a human produced label and not a product of reality itself. This catagorizing and labeling just makes things simple for society, that's all.
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Graduation from high school is a better marker for the beginning of adulthood, as is the ability to take on the associated responsibilities. Among the responsibilities include paying bills, grocery shopping, going to work, and dealing with any medical issues as needed. The ability to understand contracts is a major indicator.
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You should be grateful. The 'magic age' used to be 21. But considering that traffic accidents seem to become rarer statistically at around that age, maybe there is a logic to it after all.
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