What does it mean to be an adult?

[AliceShiki]

Rebellious phase? Well thats true. Sometimes i just do stuff that makes no sense whatsoever even tho i consider myself logical. But thats all right.

Tbf, I think "Rebellious Phase" is a horrible term, but I felt like it got the message across on that specific context.

Basically, it's common for teenagers to start disagreeing with their parents once they start becoming more self-aware and start having their own notions of right and wrong... This often times comes with a longing for independence, so that they no longer need to live under the "rule" of parents that they disagree with.

 

[Dudealien]

When you stop idolizing the anime mc and realize their rival makes more sense

 

[Gryphon]

I just recently turned 18 (birthday is November 13th) and I thought there would be something big. Like this spectacle that'll say, "Congratulations. You're a man now." To put it short nothing like that happened and I was naive to even think that. But in my limited experience of just turning into an adult, I'd say that you're never an adult.

There was a quote from Deltarune that I really liked where the main villain just says that adults are merely big children, and considering how my parents act I have to agree 100%. Being an "adult" is just a concept that society puts on people that reach a certain age. I always find it strange how the majority of countries will say that 18 is the legal adult age, but beyond gaining the title of adult, everything that people say is adultish is subject to change. The legal age of drinking, smoking, military sign up, even age of consent is all subject to change. How come in my country where I am required by law to sign up for the draft at eighteen, and can legally join the military, but I can't drink a beer.

Don't even get me started with the whole brain not being done developing at 25. Like, yeah the brain is fully developed at 25, but right after that it begins deteriorating. Someone whos lived for 90 years can get unlucky enough to revert back to the mind of a toddler. The only difference is this toddler knows how to speak and in some circumstances needs even more care. Even though they've lived beyond what most people will live to, elderly people can be less mentally developed than a ten-year-old. I find that incredibly sad to be honest. Living for so long only for the world to decide that because you smoked a single cigarette at 16, and you carried a box somewhat wrong, your entire body will collapse on you as soon as you turn 60.

So, yeah. There's no such thing as being an adult. All there is are bigger children.

 

[Deleted member 57675]

Ah, well, it's not that hard to understand IMO.

Teenagers will often times have trouble and disagreements with their parents. Everyone surely heard of the phrase "Rebellious Phase" at least once, right?

The dream of having your own independence, not needing to rely on anyone or follow other people's rules when you're at your own home... It's understandable many people would long for this when they're teenagers.

... When they grow up, they realize that, while yes, having your own home is nice, it's actually stupidly expensive and they might need to rely on their parents for quite a while before they live alone for real.
Moreover, they also realize that maintaining a house consumes a lot of time, and that cooking, washing clothes, washing dishes and the like also take a lot of time.
Then they also find out that work can be a lot more taxing than school, even if you're working in a field that you love.

So... It's basically a lack of experience with the adult life. It's easy to look at the good parts of it without realizing the downsides of it as well.

And still... I honestly don't miss being a teenager. I'm happier being an adult than I was being a teenager, even if I have a lot less free time, so... Well, when I look back on the things I thought as a teenager, I realize that a bunch of it was naive, but I also am aware that the upsides that I saw back then were still truthful~

Agree. In certain cases where its not an ideal situation then yes, i could see why they want to grow older so they can be of the age where they have easier ways to get out of a situation.

As for wanting to become an adult sooner just bc it seems cooler (from the perspective of a kid viewing an adult), have come to see it as naivety. Long for independence isn't the same as being capable of independence. But its what get pushed to a lot of people's minds, that by 18 or whatever age of maturity, they'll magically become an adult and have opportunities to explore what they want to so. Its the big day, the new change, the whatever stuff they wanna call it. Sure there'll definitely be sweet parts of being an adult and it is how one makes their life, but the way coming of an age vibe seems lot more rosy colored than it usually is. Sorta like a few other stages in life that seem a bit more hyped positively than it really is i guess.

 

[AlanWeb]

Being an adult means making decisions and taking responsibility for your actions.