Is it time we change the federal age of adulthood?

Currently legal adulthood federally is skewed, with an individual being defined as a minor if they are under 18 thus an adult when over 18. However there are a few potential issues with this law. First and foremost is the inconsistency of its application on a federal level, with the term "minor" still being used with regards to individuals under 21 for alcohol but being a legally seperate term from the status of a "minor" with regards to adult status. Second, is whether or not with todays culture 18 is still a reasonable age to determine an individual as an "adult".

Some argue that with the high exposure to information that children recieve from a very young age in this country that they are able to grasp the nuances of life quicker and as such mature at a quicker pace. That individuals who are 16 years of age are just as reasoanbly able to make mature and adult choices regarding their life as those who were a 18 decades ago, due to a better grasp of the world through the immersion into more information.

On the flip side, others argue that our society is so lavish at this point that many people do not face the challenges or the struggles needed to properly mature by the time they're 18. They point to college life essentially becoming high school part 2, with many college students being immature and college institutions essentially creating a "home-like" support structure rather than somethign mimicking the real world. Thus in reality children today don't really begin moving into a stage of true adulthood in a mature sense till their early 20's.

This is a far reaching matter. Access to certain items (Such as cigerettes), entrance into the military and potential for the draft, the ability to vote, etc are all related to the federal definition of adulthood. What is your thoughts? Under the law, should we change the definition of a minor and adult in some way to either lower it or raise it? For the sake of this conversation and attempting NOT to turn this into a pedophile issue, lets cap the "lowering" it to 16 years of age at most since that is the lowest any individual state within the US has it set at.

I agree with paragraph 3.

Now before I start, i wish to state that i am 21.

I want to analyze a few things I've noticed about the 16-20 age range.


Compared to 50 years ago, that age range does and has more following by a huge amount:

Have sex
Have jobs
Higher purchasing power.

That even goes all the way down to 12 years old especially in terms of purchasing power.

But the problem i see, is that few people even my age that i meet here, know anything about life or the way their own country, or the world works.

I didn't go to university, i went to acting school, i had the advantage of having lived in Africa, and england growing up, and so have been able to experience more then my peers, who I'm afraid to say... Are to this day, still living in the clouds.

I believe that's what north american youth culture brings, not for all, there are many intelligent young people I know, some on this very forum, but the majority i feel... Have a long way to go.

Sure, some of em can beat me at a math test. But when it comes to life smarts, i got em beat every time.

I think i pretty much ranted there, rather then making any overall point lol...

Raising the age would put a greater financial burden on parents, who may end up with children at home that won't grow up when they should either go to college or get a job. If the age is raised, then someone could literally suck off the parental tit after high school without doing anything, and a parent has zero recourse, because the minor is protected by the state.

I would argue that even though teens are exposed to much more in this day and age, they are less mature because they have less responsibility than teens in the past. Now, this creates an interesting issue. On the one hand, lowering the age of adulthood would give teens more responsibility and might make them more mature. However, if the age of adulthood should represent when a person "naturally" becomes an adult, rather than a view of when a person "should" come to be responsible adult, then I think the higher age of adulthood would be more attractive.

Personally, I think the span between 18 and 21 is pretty arbitrary, and I don't really care where it falls.

Jetboogieman said:

I agree with paragraph 3.

Now before I start, i wish to state that i am 21.

I want to analyze a few things I've noticed about the 16-20 age range.


Compared to 50 years ago, that age range does and has more following by a huge amount:

Have sex
Have jobs
Higher purchasing power.

That even goes all the way down to 12 years old especially in terms of purchasing power.

But the problem i see, is that few people even my age that i meet here, know anything about life or the way their own country, or the world works.

I didn't go to university, i went to acting school, i had the advantage of having lived in Africa, and england growing up, and so have been able to experience more then my peers, who I'm afraid to say... Are to this day, still living in the clouds.

I believe that's what north american youth culture brings, not for all, there are many intelligent young people I know, some on this very forum, but the majority i feel... Have a long way to go.

Sure, some of em can beat me at a math test. But when it comes to life smarts, i got em beat every time.

I think i pretty much ranted there, rather then making any overall point lol...

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21
Becoming an adult is a long, slow, drawn out process.
Some will never be adults.

American said:

Raising the age would put a greater financial burden on parents, who may end up with children at home that won't grow up when they should either go to college or get a job. If the age is raised, then someone could literally suck off the parental tit after high school without doing anything, and a parent has zero recourse, because the minor is protected by the state.

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Essentially, that's bad parenting if you cannot raise your children to be personally responsible for themselves. I don't see giving an excuse for bad parenting to be an acceptable reason for not doing a thing. You can't beat or abuse your kids, but you can sure raise them right. Most people do. The helicopter parents and the parents who just don't care deserve what they get.

Jetboogieman said:

But the problem i see, is that few people even my age that i meet here, know anything about life or the way their own country, or the world works.

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from a youngster, this is one of the most honest and true statements I have seen on this forum. most people your age still think they know everything. kuddos JBM :thumbs:

earthworm said:

21
Becoming an adult is a long, slow, drawn out process.
Some will never be adults.

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And when you son graduates from high school and tells you to go **** yourself, and lays around the house, don't start whining about not being able to toss your son to the street.

I think changing the age to 19 would be a fair compromise. It gives the kids an extra year of maturity before they are thrust into the "real world" and it would not be that much of an extra burden on the families. hell, many parents support their kids until they are 19-20 already. just make the legal age 19 across the board voting, drinking, smoking, military service, etc.

American said:

And when you son graduates from high school and tells you to go **** yourself, and lays around the house, don't start whining about not being able to toss your son to the street.

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that's what military boarding school is for. :lamo if he is still a minor under your legal care....he can't refuse to go.

Cephus said:

Essentially, that's bad parenting if you cannot raise your children to be personally responsible for themselves. I don't see giving an excuse for bad parenting to be an acceptable reason for not doing a thing. You can't beat or abuse your kids, but you can sure raise them right. Most people do. The helicopter parents and the parents who just don't care deserve what they get.

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You don't know what the hell you're talking about. You think every bad kid comes from bad parenting only?

OscarB63 said:

that's what military boarding school is for. :lamo if he is still a minor under your legal care....he can't refuse to go.

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Really, well you pay for it, I won't. He's taught from an early age to do the work necessary to go to college, or get a job. If he chooses not to then get a job. Don't do that, and you're gone. End of story. None of this 19 or 21 years old bull**** where the state can mandate you care for your child regardless of the life they choose. We got enough kids living with their parents these days. Kids these days have more rights than their parents, because of liberals and their welfare state mentality. This mentality is taught is school, making our children lazy victims.

How many of you participating here are parents, and how many of you are the children? Raise your hand.

American said:

This mentality is taught is school, making our children lazy victims.

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one of the main reasons my kids are home schooled. they learn what I want them to and not what some bleeding heart, liberal douchebag down at the local school board wants them to.

The life a kids choses is not always the parents' fault. Every child is different, and sometimes no amount of anything will make them walk the right path. I've seen it personally.

American said:

Raising the age would put a greater financial burden on parents, who may end up with children at home that won't grow up when they should either go to college or get a job. If the age is raised, then someone could literally suck off the parental tit after high school without doing anything, and a parent has zero recourse, because the minor is protected by the state.

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This already occurs in a LOT of households.

Raise the legal age to 21 across the board.

American said:

And when you son graduates from high school and tells you to go **** yourself, and lays around the house, don't start whining about not being able to toss your son to the street.

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Perhaps three more years of mandatory education would do your country well.


No, I'm not serious there, it was just a bit of a jab at American education. I definitely think, as a 40-odd year old man, that the age is quite naturally set where it's at. No, most people are not done growing by the age of 18, and on the other side of the spectrum, yes, 18 does seem an arbitrary point to call one an adult. But I think that the old adage of "if something isn't broken, don't fix it" should apply here. In the UK, you can get a full driver's license, legally drink alcohol, smoke, finish school, vote, join the armed forces, and be tried as an adult, upon turning 18. To change all that, for little good reason and entirely no visible benefit, would be silly to me.

OscarB63 said:

one of the main reasons my kids are home schooled. they learn what I want them to and not what some bleeding heart, liberal douchebag down at the local school board wants them to.

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Do you make them recite the Pledge of Allegiance and a good morning prayer every day before school, too?

Le Marteau said:

Do you make them recite the Pledge of Allegiance and a good morning prayer every day before school, too?

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no, but I do make them go out onto the front porch, face east and scream, "Frenchmen are cheese eating surrender monkeys" but only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. :thumbs:

American said:

You don't know what the hell you're talking about. You think every bad kid comes from bad parenting only?

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Nope but the majority certainly do. Bad parenting, absentee parenting or a combination of that and environment.

OscarB63 said:

no, but I do make them go out onto the front porch, face east and scream, "Frenchmen are cheese eating surrender monkeys" but only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. :thumbs:

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Oh, lá lá! Touché!


But, really. Humour is often the first sign of someone willing to be openminded about their beliefs, so might I inquire a bit about your previous post?

I can agree that the public education in the States is atrocious, but I'm not entirely sure it has to do with a political leaning (bleeding heart liberal douchebags, or backwater conservative hillbillies, what have you). In my experience (and my experience is, mind you, limited), I'd have given the reason for American education being so poor as a result of the political gridlock in Washington between the two parties. Neither party will allow the other a victory by pushing their agenda, blah blah, and thus you've got an underfunded, out-dated education system.

What, in that, points to the education being too liberal?

Or, perhaps more interestingly, which subjects, areas and specific points of debate do you feel the schools take too liberal a stance on?

Le Marteau said:

Oh, lá lá! Touché!


But, really. Humour is often the first sign of someone willing to be openminded about their beliefs, so might I inquire a bit about your previous post?

I can agree that the public education in the States is atrocious, but I'm not entirely sure it has to do with a political leaning (bleeding heart liberal douchebags, or backwater conservative hillbillies, what have you). In my experience (and my experience is, mind you, limited), I'd have given the reason for American education being so poor as a result of the political gridlock in Washington between the two parties. Neither party will allow the other a victory by pushing their agenda, blah blah, and thus you've got an underfunded, out-dated education system.

What, in that, points to the education being too liberal?

Or, perhaps more interestingly, which subjects, areas and specific points of debate do you feel the schools take too liberal a stance on?

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In my particular case, my two younger sons are adopted, they were developmentally delayed because for the oldest, mommy was a crackhead who didn't even know who baby daddy was and for the youngest, mommy had an IQ of around 68 and daddy was in prison for a killing he committed during a drug deal gone bad. I felt that they were not getting the attention/instruction they needed in public school. they were basically just being passed along whether they learned anything or not and falling farther and farther behind. So we decided to home school them. My wife has a degree in Accounting and I have a degree in Chemistry with a strong background in physics and mathematics. She quit her job and stays home to teach them and I cover science with them in the evenings. On weekends I make them work with me in the yard or on one of the many home improvement/repair projects we have going on. I teach them to use hand/power tools and basic carpentry skills. We also have a 1992 chevy pickup that we are restoring that my 15 y/o wants to drive when he gets his license.

Public schools, in general, spend too much of the calendar year of crap like field trips to theater and other assorted and sundry politically correct BS. I was a public school teacher for 11 years and I constantly had students miss class because they were on a field trip with the english dept. or the history dept or the drama dept.

OscarB63 said:

no, but I do make them go out onto the front porch, face east and scream, "Frenchmen are cheese eating surrender monkeys" but only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. :thumbs:

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:rofl :rofl

As far as the OP goes, I'd probably raise it to 20 across the board simply because it makes the most sense from a math perspective.

OscarB63 said:

In my particular case, my two younger sons are adopted, they were developmentally delayed because for the oldest, mommy was a crackhead who didn't even know who baby daddy was and for the youngest, mommy had an IQ of around 68 and daddy was in prison for a killing he committed during a drug deal gone bad. I felt that they were not getting the attention/instruction they needed in public school. they were basically just being passed along whether they learned anything or not and falling farther and farther behind. So we decided to home school them. My wife has a degree in Accounting and I have a degree in Chemistry with a strong background in physics and mathematics. She quit her job and stays home to teach them and I cover science with them in the evenings. On weekends I make them work with me in the yard or on one of the many home improvement/repair projects we have going on. I teach them to use hand/power tools and basic carpentry skills. We also have a 1992 chevy pickup that we are restoring that my 15 y/o wants to drive when he gets his license.

Public schools, in general, spend too much of the calendar year of crap like field trips to theater and other assorted and sundry politically correct BS. I was a public school teacher for 11 years and I constantly had students miss class because they were on a field trip with the english dept. or the history dept or the drama dept.

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Well, label me impressed, then. I actually find myself agreeing entirely with what you've done -- I'd be hard pressed to come up with a better alternative for that particular situation. However, what I don't understand is the correlation between useless excursions (field trips) and poor teaching venues, and the bleeding-heart liberal douchebags. I don't see why bleeding-heart liberal douchebags would be any more likely to send their students on useless excursions, nor why they'd be less likely to pay attention to the individual student's needs. I suppose I could make the connexion between most excursions coming from the English and Social Science faculties, but from the limited interaction we've had thus far, I'm inclined to think that you're: A, fully aware of the existence of useless Science faculty excursions, and B, cognisant of the paramount importance of the studies of history and language. Thus, your reason isn't apparent to me -- so please explain it.