18 years old

[Silikon]

Just wondering...

When did you guys turn 18, if not 18, when do you turn 18?
Has, or did life changed much at all for you?
If you were in high school when you turned 18, were you still treated like a minor?
How did you celebrate your 18th?
If you could control time, would you want to be 18 forever, or would you prefer being younger?


I brought this up because I hear people all the time say "it looks glamorous to be 18 and independent but it sucks because of such and such reasons". Just wanted to get some other opinions here.

As for me, I don't turn 18 for another 10 or 11 months.

 

[EmeraldsAndLime]

Okay, the basics...

I turned 18 last year.

I was out of school and in university.

How'd I celebrate? My brother, my brother's friends and my friends organised a surprise party at a bar (with a bowling alley in it), following by a trip to a nightclub. Never paid for entry and I never paid for a single drink.

Did life change much for me? Besides a pay-rise at work, no, not at all.

• By the time I had turned 18 I had already been out drinking before (sneaked into a nightclub at 16), so drinking had already been checked off the list.
• I had been able to purchase cigarettes, but I never was a heavy smoker, and I don't smoke now at all. No need to purchase cigarettes.
• I had gambled before, but I absolutely hate gambling (bar a few certain games).
• Sex hasn't been too much of a factor in my life, so no problems I want to disclose there.

In fact, nothing really changed much when I turned 18. People may have perceived me a bit differently, but that was only because I was now old enough to go out and drink. In the law's eyes I became an adult... but it's not like I often have a run-in with the law... Too be honest, I still feel the same now as I did when I was 16-17.

Being "of age" is overrated. There's nothing special about it unless you are an alcoholic, compulsive gambling, chain smoking, 17-year-old nymphomaniac. If I could control time, I'd probably speed it up to age 22 or 23 and stay around there. It'll give me the freedom and responsibility associated with being an adult, but I'd still have youthful looks and maturity.

 

[Pramrider]

I turned 18 in Summer of 1968. Since I had repeated the 10th grade I was still in school, getting ready to go into the 12th grade. Finally!!!

It wasn't a big deal for me to turn 18, or 21, or any other age. I've never thought much about age. It's always just another year for me and nothing special at all. Probably sounds odd for someone to feel that way, but I do.

~Pramrider

 

[Pojo]

I'll be 18 in 2 days >.>

 

[legokid]

I'll be 18 in 4 years 3 months and 14 days so I have a long time to wait

 

[Martin]

I'll have to wait (exactly) 1 more year. So sorry can't help you on that one though (at least here it's this way) there isn't a exact line between minor and major, it's not like the day you are 18 they start treating you any different then the day before.

Here you become a major in certain parts of the law at 16 but I haven't really noticed anything of that.

 

[Fire2box]

Just wondering...

"When did you guys turn 18, if not 18, when do you turn 18?"

I turned 18 on Nov 20th 2005..

"Has, or did life changed much at all for you?"

Didn't change at all aside that I started to vote.

"If you were in high school when you turned 18, were you still treated like a minor?"

I was still in high school the teachers always knew I was mature most of the time. After I finished off my credits but still needed to work on my senior project I became more like a TA.


How did you celebrate your 18th? I caught a plane to go to Bend,Oregon where my older brother lives. Me, my brother, his girl friend and two of their room mates went up to Mt. Bachelor to snowboard. I didn't know how and like most hard things I sadly gave up on it way to early. Personally I did not like the thought of going up on a chair lift nor sliding down a mountain even if some slopes are not steep at all.

Also with all the gear its a really work out and you do indeed sweat with about 3 layers of clothing on. After that since I never even used my lift pass we got it exchanged for a pass to the snow tubing park. Which is odd I don't want to be in control of a snowboard but I will ride on a inter tube going down a slope? (granted it wasn't the whole mountain or 1/3rd of it)

Anyways after 40 mins the rest of them came and joined me and we had a few races. They had snow walls set up to prevent crashes and it was pretty hard to hit them in order to get air time off them though some people did come close. My brother and his friend went down head first in order to gain more speed I think. I never did since I don't like taking big risks like that.

Later that night me and my older brother went to applebee's alone for my birthday dinner. His friend worked there so I got a free dessert and I told them to hold the signing. It was pretty empty anyways everyone was down at the new REI store I guess.

Anyways I wasn't up there just for my birthday. Me my brother and his girlfriend left from Bend to go to Coos Bay and be with our mom's side of the family for thanksgiving. It was also pretty much a exact year after our sister died.

"If you could control time, would you want to be 18 forever, or would you prefer being younger?"

I'd prefer being 15 all the time I think. No real reason other then being a adult sucks more then it has its rewards.

 

[Peachy]

I can't remember much about my 18th birthday, so I don't think it was anything special. Me and my friends had no interest in the whole getting drunk bit (besides, you can buy beer&wine at age 16 anyway, so there was no point). I think we went to a restaurant to celebrate that day.
As opposed to so many other people, I didn't get my driver's license on my 18th birthday either. I started driving school a few weeks after my birthday (out of pure lazyness!) and didn't get my license until more than a half year after my birthday.

And things certainly didn't change the day of my 18th birthday. I was still in school for 1 1/2 years after that day, so why would things suddenly be different? I didn't own a car of my own until I was 23, so you can't even claim that being 18 and (eventually) having a license allowed me to get out more - I still used my bike and buses after turning 18!

As far as adult responsibilities are concerned: I've had them since I was 15 for reasons that don't have to be discussed here, so nothing changed there either. Well, one responsibility was stacked on top of the already existing ones: I was able to vote!

Peachy

 

[mizzycub]

My 18th birthday is in 3 months and 13 days. So I can't tell you if it has changed me.

What I can tell you is I haven't used any of the rights that came with being 16 in the UK, such as the right to leave education, the right to smoke (until the age was increased last year) or the right to make sweet (or perhaps not so sweet) love. Nor have I made use of the right to learn how to drive that came with my 17 birthday. I had two lessons and I hated it.

 

[Chillhouse]

I'll be 18 in roughly 6 months.

Still a while to go.

 

[Charlie]

I turned 18 recently, in August. I had left 'high school' ('college' here for 16 to 18 year olds) but everyone in college gets treated the same (like adults) anyway.
For my 18th birthday I had a house party with my friends and family there, and then later on me and my friends went into town and got nice and drunk!

18 is quite a good age, and I feel different and more adult now, but this is more because of the fact that being 18 for me means being at university and taking care of myself. If I had turned 18 earlier I wouldn't have felt different.

I don't think I would freeze my age at 18, perhaps something higher.

 

[avery]

just by chance my life totally changed right around my 18th birthday, since like charlie i left for university about that time. i wasn't ready at all -- i went from living with my parents in a town where i had a lot of friends to living alone in a town where i had no friends. it wound up being pretty much the worst year of my life.

still, that's just a result of who i was and what i was doing at the time, and you certainly shouldn't expect your experience of turning 18 to be anything like mine.

if i had to freeze my age i'd freeze it at 9, or perhaps 24. those were good years. but i think all things considered i'd prefer to keep aging normally thank you very much.

 

[Nam Repaid]

When did you guys turn 18, if not 18, when do you turn 18?
June 22, 1977
Has, or did life changed much at all for you?
No! Thank the various gods I'm as immature as ever! Seriously I've learned to unerstand things better but I am the same.
If you were in high school when you turned 18, were you still treated like a minor?
I was 19 when I graduated and never treated like a minor. I had a full time job and took care of myself since 17. The drinking age was 18 back then too.
How did you celebrate your 18th?
Sadly I didn't. I was raised to not celebrate birthdays and such. (Cheep mean parents.)
If you could control time, would you want to be 18 forever, or would you prefer being younger?
18 was good but I think my late 20s were my best years.

Nam

 

[snydead]

I turned 18 the last year of Augest. I didn't really have a special party for that is was jus mainly family and two friends since my b-day was also my graduation party. Alls we did was play miniature golf and had pizza, so nothin special. So far I have been still talkin to a friend that's in his last year in high school. So pretty much I'm still livin with my mom until I save up a lot of money to start a living. And plus I met alot of friends on myspace and I found a special friend and withen 3-4 yrs. from now we will be meeting for the first time.

Anyways my advice to you, if you haven't saved up alot of money, be sure to start out big and don't burn a hole in your pocket.

I don't think that I want to be 18 again because I was afraid of growing up and seeing the world when I was that age. So I wish that I could be 5 or 10 yrs old again.

 

[FluffyFluffers]

I turn 18 on December 25, 2009.
I'm planing on going get some sig's and going to some friends houses a few days later.
Life will not change much for me cept for the lil fact I can leave when I want from my house and go where I want. And The fact I will only be at my house Monday to Friday half the year.
I'm going to be in high school till I'm 19(Not my fault) Will they treat me different NO fact is only 70 out of my schools 190+ teacher staff Know What rights a student has and knows how to treat a student. Heck half the principals think just because your Under 18 you have no rights.
Would I stay younger? Really depends on how my life plans go I would like to live forever but It would not bold well with my plans.

 

[Embraer]

Ill, be 16 on November 13. I was actually born on Friday the 13'th, lol. But yea, ill be 18 in.... ahh, you can do the math!

 

[FluffyFluffers]

in 2010.

 

[satyrical]

It's not like things suddenly change when you turn 18. You're still the same person.

That said, man, I have changed SO MUCH since I turned 18, two years ago (my gosh, was it that long ago...?).