Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Adulthood

It seems as though all teenagers, whether thirteen or seventeen, cannot wait to become the magical and wondrous age of eighteen. "Everything will become better once I become an 'adult!'" the disillusioned teen tells oneself. I know I myself was guilty of this not even a few months ago. The allure of becomming an "adult" is surely one that captures every teenager. The only problem is that we forget the other side of all the free reign we are given once we hit that age. With all that freedom to "be ourselves," there also is a greater responsibility than we have ever experienced before.

As kids (because that is what we still are, no matter how mature one feels) we are given some minor responsibilites. We take care of our pets, do chores around the house, and many of us become employed at a part time job. Some are "rewarded" cars (while others actually have to buy the vehicle themselves), and that is an even greater responsibility. Even fewer are actually made to pay their own phone bill, and that is a great way to prepare oneself for the "real world." However, we disillusion ourselves to believe that we will somehow make enough money once we become adults to afford all the luxeries we enjoy now.

So often true foresight is never used when evaluating one's future. People may have an idea about what career they wish to pursue or what kind of person they want their future spouse to be, but these are all subjective things that we have little control over presently. Financial planning is all but forgotten nowadays, and it all starts with the youth of today. Hardly any teenagers have savings accounts in which they deposit even a small amount of money. It may sound like I am preaching from the past, but it really is effective to put back a certain amount of money for the future. Nothing is set in stone (to use that cliche), and it is best to prepare for whatever may happen.

Along with the financial aspect, maturation is another big issue. Just because you turn eighteen doesn't automatically turn you into a mature adult. Many college students are examples of this. So often teenagers make the mistake of believing that turning eighteen is the final step into adulthood, and they are free to do as they please once they hit that age. This could not be further from the truth. With adulthood comes more restrictions and more red tape. Adulthood brings about more stress and more labors. Adulthood brings with it more and greater expectations than one can imagine right now. Adulthood is not the most glorious thing in the world like so many teenagers believe it to be.

I only wish to end this by saying that I myself am only seventeen at the moment. I know I have fallen prey to the wonderings and wishings of turning eighteen. However, my views have been altered as of late for various reasons, and the greatest of those being preparing for college. I have been forced to look at the future as I neve have before, and honestly it is scaring me. The moving away and whatnot is not the daunting part; it is the fact that I am responsible for myself if I mess anything up once I turn eighteen. No longer is there a safety net there to catch me. I must take responsibility for everything I do, and I will not have the checks and balances I have now to keep me in line as effectively.

I hope that my fellow teenagers out there that read my blog think hard upon what I have said. I do not claim to be a man wise beyond my years, I merely speak about my ponderings and my experiences.