Elusive Adulthood

While I was home for Christmas, I had a lot of time to sit around and think. One topic that kept popping up was the question of when an individual actually becomes an adult. In a physical sense, I suppose the answer would be when you hit puberty. I certainly didn't feel like an adult in my early teens and I definitely wasn't treated like one. Legally, you are considered an adult when you turn 18 years old in the US. However this status does not grant you permission to drink alcohol. Obviously then the government thinks we still have some growing up to do before we reach 21. After that point, some things are still out of our hands. For example, at the age of 21, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for you to rent a car. Looking even further into the future, you cannot run for election to the Senate unless you are 30 and you must be at least 35 to run for the Presidency. However, it can be argued that the more experience someone has in politics and in life, the better they are able to govern.

So still the question has not been answered. When are you considered an adult? I think at least part of the answer lies in others' perception of you. I have always looked young. When I was in college I was stopped twice, once in the trainer's room and once in the cafeteria, and asked how I had snuck into these various facilities. They thought that I was a Lewisburg high school student. I was in fact 22 at the time. A few months ago I was stopped in the subway by two policemen b/c they thought I was skipping class. I told them that I was a graduate student at Columbia, but they didn't believe me. Those events, coupled with many others, have had an effect on how I perceive myself. Not only am I still in school, but I am not married, have no children and I am one of the youngest people in my extended family. All of these factors add up to my still feeling young, whether I am treated that way or not. Of course I am pretty silly as well, which doesn't help. In general I can't think of a single milestone that signifies adulthood. Mike and Hyunmi are married and I still think of them as being young people. I knew girls in middle school who had children and I wouldn't have considered them adults at the time. On the other hand, my parents are two of the silliest people I know, but they are definitely adults. It will probably take a long time for my perception of myself to change. All I know is that if I lived a few centuries ago, I might be a grandmother right now and I would certainly be considered an old woman.