The irony of becoming an "adult"--Kouleen

On February 20 th , I had a debutante ball for my 18 th birthday. This is probably the biggest day in
a Filipina’s life, as it contains many traditional Filipino aspects. The parents of the girl, host this
celebration to show the world and the society that their daughter is now becoming a woman and
that she is now of age. The age of 18 symbolizes becoming an adult. But what exactly does
becoming an adult mean? What does it mean to become of age and what exactly defines the
lines between a child and grown person?
In a couple of months, we as seniors are expected to graduate and enter the adult world of
living on our own without our parents, yet presently we are still forced to raise our hands to use
the restroom. Why do they try and teach us so much, yet the moment we use these lessons we
learn, we are discouraged and told that we don’t know what we’re talking about? We are taught
to make decisions for ourselves, yet parents still have the right to give us a curfew. We are
cautioned at the fact that we can now be convicted as an adult instead of a minor. We are
allowed to gamble, buy cigarettes, but we are still looked down upon by adults because we
“haven’t lived long enough to experience ‘life’.” We are brought up on the saying, “sticks and
stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, we allow letter grades to
define us as people and determine how successful we will be in the future. Why teach us
lessons only to slap our wrists when we actually learn from them? Would I actually be listened to
if I were the same age as you? I’m angered at the fact that if I were to say something at my age,
all I’d receive is: “You’re so naive.” or “What do you know, you’re only 18.” However, if I were to
say the same thing at age 30, everyone would suddenly respect my comment and agree. They
would actually recognize its validity only because it came out of an “adult” in the numerical
sense.
I find it absurd that society uses the number of years we are alive to measure maturity. Does it
sound justifiable, fair, or logical to you that at 11:59 PM, one minute from your 16th birthday, you
aren’t seen as ready to drive a vehicle but as soon as the clock hits 12:00 AM, you are seen as
mature enough to own a license and are ready to handle such responsibilities of driving. The
same goes for the moment you turn 18 years old. Seconds before it was midnight, you were
considered young and unfit to be an adult. However the minute you turn 18, at exactly 12:00
AM, you can suddenly vote for political officials, fight in wars, work more hours, lease
apartments and homes, get tattoos, and the list goes on. Did we suddenly gain maturity and
develop all of the qualifications of being an adult in a matter of seconds? Did we become ready
to take on the world at 12:00 AM but not at 11:59 PM? Why does your age matter f the only
thing that has changed within that minute is what appears on the clock?
I do not think a number or age should define how society sees us. We should be treated with
the same professionalism and respect any “adult” deserves. I believe your mentality on life
defines your coming into the adult world. Your maturity in being able to accept others opinions,
while still voicing out your own ideas; your willingness to accept others as they are; THAT is
what I believe draws the line between a child and an adult. Not the numerical age, but the
wisdom we contain and how we react to the difficult obstacles life throws at us.