Teenage Independence

In class this past week we've been talking a lot about when you are finally a teenager and when your are finally an adult. There were many very different opinions in class about when your finally an adult ranging from 18 years old to 25 years old. I noticed that each and every single person had their own opinion on when one was an adult. Some thought it was when you have no more driving curfew, some thought it was when you were able to buy alcohol, and some thought it was when you were able to rent a car. When Sal put a timeline on the board of all the ages where we thought you gained independence the class as a whole was only naming the nurture part of it. The part that were rules or laws, not what has been given naturally to us such as our first tooth or ones first gray hair or wrinkle. In society we are judged by what age we are not by what age we act. There are some 14 year olds that are mature enough to drive a car but then again there are some 16 year olds who can legally drive a car but are too immature to handle the responsibility of doing so. I feel that people shouldn't be judged on how old they are but judged on how mature they are and what they can learn from their elders and can set an example to ones younger than themselves just like in that one island off of the pacific coast. Teenagers are often judged too harshly on being a teenager but not every teen fits that stereotype of a crazy irresponsible individual. Society should that note of this and not judge a person on how old they are but how mature as a person they are and how they can receive and give back to their community.