When you know you are an adult?

It seems like an odd question, but I'm thinking this is why tribal societies would have an actual ritual you go through, where you run an obstacle course and then slay a wolf for the right to be declared an Adult. Without that clear line, it's kind of hard to tell.

From what I can gather, in our grandfathers' time when you turned 18, you were shoved out of the house and either had to go fight a war, or mine coal until you died of Black Lung, or Mining Dementia, or Coal Shits. Then with the next generation it became normal for people to go to college, so they'd stay in teenage party mode until they graduated at age 22 or so. Now, it seems like most people are stretching that out until they get close to 30.


First of all, having children of your own does not make you an adult. Any two jackoffs with functional reproductive organs can produce children. And there is no magical line when it comes to age, not even a ballpark.

I have recived lots of answers from friends, families and people from work, and apparently seems to be a balancing point between when you stop depending on other people, and become the person other people can depend on.

Could you give me your own answers?

When you start contributing your greatest gift to the world. I think every person has the responsibility to leave the world better than they found it...for all of the future generations. It's about developing your own unique talents and using that to create some sort of sustainable change, this is the greatest gift anyone has to offer.

Some of the greats included Socrates for free thought, Martin Luther King for equality, Bill Gates for vaccines and seeds, etc...

These people are great leaders, but not everyone is born to lead. However, these people needed the help and contribution of others. Many people had to play their roles so that the leaders can lead. Everyone can have a role in making greater visions come true.

To me, a person becomes an adult when they find this calling and work towards contributing their greatest gift. Everything before this point is just child's play.

Lets see an adult well I would have to agree with the adult need to be dependable but whats if that person is trying to be dependable but events can't allow him/her to so I would say the thought of trying to be dependable is more appropriate in my eyes
while I don't think dependability is all i think it also requires experience and the state of mind
my parent still say I'm a kid even though I'm 19 and I sorta agree I don't think I can completely become an adult till I full experience the hard ship of taking care for my self
and as for the state of mind I'm not sure but I believe it slowly comes with the experience , personality, and brain development.

You're an adult when you start thinking like an adult and able to support yourself ie. own/rent a home, feed yourself, able to hold down a decent job and contribute to the betterment of society. Before that you're a boy trying to be a man.

Though inside every man there's the heart of a 12 year old.
Here's an interesting quote: Growing old is unavoidable, growing up is optional.

When i was a child i thought as a child and spoke as a child.

When i became a man, i had that child taken out and shot.

-Evelyn William "Bill" McNeal

I just found this today, and I already get to use it.



Anyways, coming of age rituals don't really do anything. No one becomes an adult just because they memorize some words and repeat them in front of their friends and family members. And while killing a wolf would be an impressive task for a teenager, it wouldn't make him any more mature or adult-like. There is honestly nothing you can do or be put through that will definitely transform a person from a kid to an adult, in large part due to the fact that there isn't a clear line between the two. There isn't a list of accomplishments that qualify a person as an adult when a certain number are met. And an adult can have a lot of childish qualities. If a 30-year-old man laughs at fart jokes, is he any less of an adult than the 30-year-old man that does not, if they are equal in every other way?

You're an adult whenever you want to say you're an adult (and can be taken seriously, I suppose). Or when others want to say you're an adult. If your mother tells you to get off your lazy ass and get a job because "you're already an adult," can she be wrong if you simply don't feel like an adult?

I guess in conclusion, "adult" is a subjective term. You can call yourself an adult, and others can disagree with you; others can call you an adult, and you can disagree with them. There's no rulebook.

Maybe when you have a job and can support yourself, I guess that would be what I'd say, even thou by that definition I would still be a child. Or maybe it's when you realize that it was much better being a child.

So, people with psychological illnesses like depression or some physical handicap that prevent them from working arent adults even if they are 40 for example? Imo work/career isnt a good way to define if a person is adult or not, because not everyone can just decide "I'm going to get a job now!". Sometimes its just impossible.
But to be honest, I couldnt care less when a person is an adult. I'm 24, I should be adult, some people may define me as an adult, but to me I'm just me. I am more adult like than I was 5 years ago, sure. But thats it. [size=10]and I like being childish more than adult-like[/h]

You're generaly an adult when it no longer matters to you whether you are an adult or not.

This has bugged me every time I think about being adult or being a child. Why do some people have such a hurry to grow up? Why do people think certain types of humor (like fart stuff) is childish, and why do they think its a bad thing if someone has likes "childish" jokes?
I mean, isnt being childish way more fun than adult-like? D: I'm matured enough to know I have to pay my bills, take my dog to vet when its needed even if it means I'll have only 50 euros for food for 3 weeks and so on. And I also know good manners, which too seems to be a sign of a matured person nowdays (since it seems that atleast most of the teenagers dont know any manners [size=10](oh god how old I feel when I say that D:)[/h]).And I guess I'm a bit adult-like in my way of thinking too, with politics and stuff like that.

One thing that really made me think about how people react to childish things happened about half an year ago. I was in this group where young people were being helped to find a job or something to do in general and we were talking about what kind of people we are. And I said that I'm pretty childish person around familiar people and I even have loads of stuffed toys in our bedroom. And people were really shocked and asked something stuff like "doesnt it bother your boyfriend at all that you have those things in the room he sleeps in?". I mean, they were really REALLY surprised and thought that it should bother my bf because his girlfriend who's in her mid 20's has stuffed toys. For me thats 100% normal to have stuffed toys, its not like I play with them or anything, I just own them. And even my mom has stuffed toys.

So, the point of that story: your opinion on childish things? (like childish humor, stuffed toys and such). I've been thinking of making a thread for this for quite a long time, but lazy me is lazy, and now that this thread is here, I think this could be discussed here too (correct me if I'm wrong).

There are many signs that show when you've become an adult. You are an adult if; you don't listen to your parents, You'd rather spend more time away from your parents than with them, you don't do everything your parents tell you to, you question what your parents say and lastly your life style is different from your parent's. All are signs that you're an adult. It's like the magical internal system telling you "I need to get out, I shouldn't be here anymore." There really isn't a set age for it, you just start to collide with your family on many things and usually the best remedy is to get away. Ever heard of the saying "How can I miss you if you won't leave?" Yea, it's like that. As it happens, sometimes you aren't able to leave cause of financial problems or other matters.

A little side note, living with your parents makes you into a pussy deflector. Living with others or by yourself increases your attractiveness by three points.

When you own this shirt ;) jk. When you become accountable for your own actions.

Are you like 14 or something?

An adult, if having trouble living under the same roof as someone they would first of all try to fix whatever the problem is.
With a parent/s however you will want to move out after a while, but (unless their abusive or some shit)you will want to keep in touch and share some common grounds.

[color=blue]In my point of view. being an adult does not depend on age. It depends on your mind. how would you react to certain situationist. being able to control your words. being able to solve your own problems by your self (If possible). able to watch over and raise children. controlling your spending habits and your sexual existent. knowing what is right and what is wrong........... and many other reasons really.
In other words even a little child could easily become an adult if his was able to control he mind and keep it on the correct path.[/color]

I have a peter pan complex. I'm 20 year old, but i really don't wanna grow up. The sad part is that the older i get, the more immature i feel.

In my opinion not being an adult means depending on others.

Bit of a wierd question there, because i don't think you "Become" an adult. Being an adult or being a child is basically just a state of mind. there are countless occasions where someone elderly is being a child, just as there are plenty of times where a child is being an adult. I do believe as you get older you act like an adult more often then you do a kid. But it isn't like a checkpoint in a game.

As korny and retarded this sounds,
You're you and there will be plenty of times you'll be acting like a child, or acting like an adult.

I really like that quote. I think if you're 18+ and making good decisions, you're an adult.

Trying to be an adult is hard as soon as you are an adult you can't do a lot of things. To me being an adult is either having a job or trying to get qualifications. Most places won't hire you if you have no qualifications and experience unless you are under a certain age. Going to College gets harder support for going to college has an age limit. So if you don't get certain things done before your legally an adult you'll never be one that's what I feel.

Colleges discriminate on age some times like for instance me and my little sister applied for college she was signed up for her coarse with in 10 minutes of asking about applying, me they prolonged it over a few months asking me to come to all these different functions to see what the college had to offer but never signed me up or arranged an interview to sign up for the coarse I ask for (I was told by some one it was most likely to do with my age). It didn't matter though because I soon realized I couldn't afford to go because I didn't realize I couldn't get the same support as my younger siblings for going to college.