Bad Things About Turning 18

Turning 18 is not as great as people make it out to be. Not trying to be a spoilsport but besides the rights to vote, drink, do things without needing permission from your parents and even move into your own house if you want to, after the initial euphoria of your 18th birthday, there is really nothing special about turning 18.

Rather, you are faced with the harsh realities and responsibilities that come with the milestone age.

Responsibilities Of An 18 Year Old

There is no particularly significant change that comes with turning 18 but there certainly are rights and responsibilities that are attached to adulthood which begins at 18. Here are some of these rights and responsibilities:

Once you turn 18, you enjoy privileges like the right to vote, you are free to get married and own a house, you can decide to get a tattoo, gamble, get a driver’s license, open an account, all these without a need for your parents’ approval.

Well, it might interest you to know that you begin to have just as much responsibilities and need for accountability at 18. When you were a minor, your parents or guardians were held legally responsible for your misdeeds and misconducts. Once you turn 18, you are regarded as an adult by law and are held responsible for your actions or inactions and can be sent to jail to get the consequences of those actions.

As an 18 years old young man, you are required to register with the nation’s selective service, as you are now old enough to defend the cause of your country. It would be wise of you to do a study and carry out researches on the selective service and how it operates.

Every state has unique laws that govern them. What is acceptable in one state might be a punishable offense in another. Be careful with that teen romance going on between you and your younger partner. You are not 16 anymore so you are now bound by the law.

You could be jailed for child abuse and registered as a sex offender. This would put a dent on your records for life, and you may find it difficult to get a job as no one wants to employ a sex offender.

At 18, you have the right to permit or refuse your parents or guardians access to your personal stuffs like bank statements, medical records or even your school grades.  Except with your express permission, a ”No” can do to requests for your personal documents.

At the age of 18, you need to be sensitized about the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol as this is a major vice among college students. As you prepare for college, it is important that you understand the dangers of drug abuse and alcohol abuse. Generally, college parties hold lots of potential dangers that you should be aware and cautious of.

You are not so old just because you turned 18. You are still entitled to family vacations. Of course, the location may change since you are now grown up and would not be interested in kid’s activities. New locations, games for older ones, dinners outdoor adventures are some fun activities for a family vacation.

As you turn 18 and get into the adult world, you might be considering getting a job to work part-time after school hours. If you are, then you need to get prepared for the inevitable job interviews.

You can find out how to go about it from your parents or older ones who have gone through this phase before. Learn the essentials and be prepared to give it your best shot.

Bad Things About Turning 18

1. It is expected that you are now matured enough to look after yourself once you turn 18. This is not ideal. Truth is, even though you have just turned 18, you still feel like a young child. Unfortunately, your family doesn’t think the same. Your parents, uncles and older siblings withdraw some of the privileges that they used to give you like allowances.
2. You begin to lose your childhood friends as most of them begin to move to other states or countries. All of a sudden, you have no friends around you anymore.
3. Technically, you would still be living with your parents when you turn 18 since you are likely to still be schooling. Turning 18 doesn’t count for much freedom after all. You still have couple of years to stay with your parents. As it is, you are not very different from your 15 years old kid brother living with your parents.
4. Now comes the adult life in reality. You no longer enjoy those kiddies’ privileges. You begin to go on errands and wait on queues at the grocery stores or the post office.
5. You get reminded of your age every time you do something wrong. You hear statements like ” You are no longer a kid. You are now 18”. This can be very annoying.
6. If you decide to move out since you have the right to and you no longer want to deal with the errands and scolding, you will find out that moving out will hardly make you happy. Rather, with moving out comes bills unending.
7. You suddenly realize there are several other more significant milestone ages than 18 years and wonder what the hassle was all about.
8. You desperately wish you could go back to being 11 again as you begin to feel the weight of adulthood crashing on you. Playing in the yard sounds way more fun than these tiring adult stuffs.
9. You are still bound to make mistakes and act 16 sometimes, even though you are now an adult by law. Do not beat yourself up when you do make those mistakes. You do not mature overnight just because you turned 18. Allow yourself to make mistakes while you figure this whole adulthood out.

 

 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Turning 18 Good?

Looking at it from the perspective of the new privileges you get to enjoy, turning 18 is certainly a good thing. But when you consider the responsibilities that come with it, you might not agree with me.

Generally though, you would have to weigh your options to decide if you are more about the privileges and can overlook the responsibilities to determine if turning 18 is good for you.

Why Is Turning 18 A Big Deal?

The milestone age is a big deal in more ways than one. First, in the eyes of the law, an 18 years old is now an adult and would be treated as one, handed the rights and responsibilities of an adult.

Also, it is an emotional phase for parents to see their once little baby now all grown up. Even though one can never really outgrow being the parents’ baby, there is the undeniable fact that you are now grown up.

Conclusion

As we earlier said in this article, turning 18 comes with just as much responsibilities as it comes with privileges. Brace yourself for the adult life that you are being welcomed into.