At 18, many young people begin taking on very large responsibilities that they may not have seen before. Although they are legally considered adults, many are not ready for the demands that come with adulthood. The transition from teenage years to adulthood can be shocking, especially when it comes to someone not prepared, like an 18-year-old.
Brain development plays an important role in the way young adults think and the actions and decisions they make. Many researchers show that the frontal lobe of your brain, which determines judgment, problem solving, personality, and many other things, does not fully develop until at least 25 years of age. This means that many 18-year-olds are still developing and figuring out these motor skills. With many more years of growth and development in the brain, 18-year-olds are not even close to having their full knowledge of life, and should not have to be making the same decisions as someone with a fully developed brain.
Maturity is a crucial part of day-to-day life, whether that be in public, in the workplace or in other opportunities. Adults face many responsibilities, including having jobs, having a place to live and feeding themselves, all tasks that are not easy. When talking to most young adults, you can see the lack of social and emotional maturity they exhibit. In states like Alabama and Nebraska, you cannot rent an apartment until you are at least 19 years old, and in Mississippi, the age is 21. How can 18-year-olds be regarded as full adults if, in some states, they are not even able to secure housing on their own?
18 is seen as one of the most important years of your life to figure out yourself. When exploring new things like college, your identity, and what you want to do, things like finances, a job and a roof over your head seem very jarring to think about. Many people graduate from high school and have to take on these roles without any knowledge of what to do. Through school, you are never taught ways to budget or save your money, so when stepping right out into the real world after high school with expectations of these things, everything seems impossible.
While turning 18 is a huge milestone and brings many new exciting chapters, it does not mean you are ready for the adult responsibilities that come along with it. That part of life needs to be explored where you make mistakes and learn about yourself without the fear of what may happen because you are thought to have these large responsibilities so early on.
