When does a kid become a grownup?

[justcarol67]

No Limberger wrote:
> 
> If someone can enter or be drafted into the military when they turn 18 years of age (meaning that they can be regarded as being allowed to die for their country, which is the ultimate sacrifice), then the age of 18 is definitely when that person should be considered an adult. <snip>
> As to the minimum drinking age, prior to the ratification of the 26th Amendment, the minimum drinking age in the U.S. was typically 21; but states then lowered the drinking age to 18 or 19 following the ratification using the same logic regarding an 18 year old's ability to die for his/her country. The drinking age was raised again to 21 when the federal government adopted the Federal Underage Drinking Act (FUDAA), which was signed into law by Pres. Ronald Reagan in 1984. <snip>
> 
> If an 18 year old wants to drink, no minimum drinking age law set at 21 is going to completely prevent the person (who is otherwise a legal adult) from obtaining alcohol.
 
Carol responds:

I know the history and the logic (which is somewhat diminished by the fact that the draft is no longer in effect and the country never drafted eighteen-year-old girls. But, as I said, I'm not interested in the legal aspects. I'm interested in emotional maturity and the simple readiness to take on adult responsibilities. I'm not at all sure that eighteen-year-olds are ready to die for their country (how many people are?) or prepared to do the homework that it takes to vote intelligently. Do most eighteen-year-olds even know how to prepare a tax return?

So, please. Let's look at the question I asked. *Setting aside the complicated legalities*, when, in anyone's opinion, is a young person emotionally, mentally, and morally ready to take on the responsibilities of adulthood? Obviously, it varies with the individual, but in general? Do girls really mature sooner than boys? Consider things like teenage hormones or the incomplete development of the cerebral cortex or personal experience or prolonged adolescence if you wish, but please ignore the laws as they now exist. I'm talking about a hypothetical age of majority based on the actual readiness of today's kids to become adults. Are they ready, for example, to marry and have kids (or have kids outside of marriage? The seventeen-year-olds I know (even those with facial hair) aren't ready and would rather stay kids.

By the way, the laws you mentioned also apply to cigarettes, and the same statement (no law can stop them completely) still applies, but even the willingness or eagerness to break a law that places restrictions on them (or the choice some kids make to drop out of school when they're no longer legally required to attend) demonstrates, IMO, a kind of immaturity. And I haven't even mentioned risk-taking. Again, I'm not talking about the laws as they are or the logic behind them. I'm talking about actual mental and emotional maturity. Based on that criterion alone, is eighteen (or seventeen in the WW) sensible, or should we go back to twenty-one (which would also include the draft age for the purposes of this discussion)?

Thanks,
Carol