I guess it really depends and its very complicated. its hard to understand what an adult is and what that really means and whether or not its possible to define that. Is it about societal privelages and freedoms? A time line for 'average' achievement?
Defining it simply on biology or emotional maturity doesnt seem to be enough. As many others have said, some adults act like children and some children act like adults. The brain is continually developing and there seems to be a lot of individual variance. Environmental and cultural factors, along with experience and personality are just as important variables as hormonal and biological maturation. For me, it seems to be more about life adaptability, self sufficiency and responsibility. The stage where people are able to be responsible for themselves, look after themselves, and create their own family.
Bascially i think when people are able to have children, they enter a new stage of life and development, whether or not they fit into a culturally defined concept of 'adult'. Looking after yourself and your child is as 'adult' as it gets. When people are able to support themselves financially through the fruit of their own labour- this means that they have entered a new stage and are entitled more societal privellages and freedoms.
People often live up to our expectations. If we treat someone as immature, they will act that way. If we choose to give someone responsibilities, treat them as they are responsible and capable, they will probably have more reason and ability to act this way. Many adults can be very over protective over children, and unwilling to delegate responsibilities to them. This responisibilty is priceless though, becuase this is how we learn and how we learn to see ourselves as capable and in control of our life. Independance and freedom are so essential to the human spirit. People need room to grow. They cant learn without making mistakes. Rather than having someone micromanage them and dictate their freedoms, what they really need is a supportive nuturing environment, respect, trust, honesty and knowledge. Knowledge and experience are all important. Parents need to lead by example, be honest about our own mistakes and shortcomings, and earn our respect.
In Australia, its 'complusory' to stay in school up till a grade 10 level, which is about 15 years of age. At this stage, they can decide whether or not they want to continue high school education, do some kind of vocational education or simply leave and get a job. 14 years 9 months is the legal age for employment and 15 is the legal age for apprenticeships.
Generally the age of 'independance' for social security payments is 22. But people aged 15 can qualify for these kinds of payments if they are considered independant because of family issues etc.
I think that it would probably be better to have compulsory highschool education- learning your basics- reading, writing and arithmetic up till the age of 14, and than allowing students to have more versatlity in talioring their own schooling/ vocational training experience. Some people are creative, some academic, some more mechanically minded etc. Rather than forcing them into a mould, why not empower them and give them the tools to create a path in which they can be more responsible? With guidance of course from qualified people. Some kids really dislike school, and their skills and personality are devalued in that environment. I think that rather than forcing them to continue, they should be allowed to explore options. Hopefully this would help them feel more empowered and invested into their own life story and experience.
In regards to child rearing and marriage, i think that general age should possibly be raised to 17. Children need to be educated on sexual health from around age 11 or 12, and taught the importance of taking control and responisbility of their own sexual health. While its completely wrong and unethical to deny people reproductive privellages, i think we can spend more time educating and teaching responisibilty, and providing easy and accessible safe contraceptives. People are going to want to start exploring sex around that age, and they should be able to do so honestly in an environment where they have people they can talk to about it and recieve constructive feedback. Repression, dishonesty and lack of communication is responsible for so much of the supposed 'deviant' behaviour in our cultures. Although people younger than 17 are perfectly capable of having children and being married succesfully, I think that they could be disadvantaged in some ways, especailly when it comes to being able to succesfully support their children financially. But ofcourse, this is a case by case scenario, and everyone is different.
In regards to drinking and recreational drugs, I think that 16 is probably a good age. This is after the age that they can work fulltime to support themselves and gives them enough time to learn and manage their drinking behaviour.
With driving, i think that 18 is probably appropriate, so after they have learned to somewhat manage their drinking behaviour. I guess this issue would depend on the country one loved in and the quality of public transport.
In regards to making legal decisions and contracts, im thinking 17.
I know when i was younger, the main thing i craved was freedom and independence. i wanted to make my own mistakes and own my own life. What could be better than learning the consequences of your own actions? Life is just learning to balance and manage all these things in a beneficial way.
