We are declared an adult at 18 for some reason, 17 here in Texas. I know at 18 I thought I was an adult. Even when out of my parents’ house, on my own, and addicted to heroin at 19, I was legally an adult but still didn’t feel “grown-up.” I don’t know what exactly constitutes someone being grown-up.
I can see how many people may believe it’s when you’re on your own financially and/or becoming self-sufficient, but even at that point I still felt there was something more that I was anticipating. Plus, I’ve seen and met plenty of “grown-up” people who are neither self-sufficient nor on their own financially.
The age that comes to mind for me when I first felt like a grownup was 25. I had been on my own for six years, battled drug addiction twice, woken up to my best friend’s body lying next to me from an overdose, had seen the darker sides of this world, and had pulled myself out of all that. Why I never felt like a grownup before, I’m not sure, but it was at this age when I stopped thinking that I could run back home to my parents for help. I was confident enough in myself that when a problem came up, like say, another drug relapse, I had the resources and wherewithal to handle it myself.
Fortunately, I am still blessed with having my family around for emotional support and I am forever grateful for that.
When it comes down to it, there is no set age when one becomes an official grownup. Each person has their own idea of what constitutes being a “grownup” and is born into a particular circumstance that allows for personal maturity.
However, the legal system needs a number to distinguish between an adult and a child. It doesn’t have an effect on me, not yet at least, but I do find it weird how a legal adult is deemed mature enough to vote and decide on the life on her unborn child but isn’t old enough to drink a beer or smoke a cigarette. Think about that for a second.
Allevi8ed Writing 
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