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What Age do you become a Legal Adult in the United States?

Legal at 18: How Mature is an 18-year Old Teen?


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Most countries, especially in the west, consider 18 a legal age wherein adults can legally make life-altering decisions and are responsible for it. Some countries do not consider such especially in the Asian countries wherein 18 is still considered an age wherein teens are very dependent financially from their parents. In USA specifically, 19-yearl-old teens are now considered independent, financially able to supply for their needs, and parents has no obligation to watch over them. Although this is not applicable to all families living in the USA, most of the scenario is that teens at the age of 18 can independently live on their own and make legal decisions such as marriage, vote, sign-up for military and even sign in legal contracts.

Many parents share different opinions about this topic./ While it is a practice that teens at 18 years old will leave their roof, some parents are still uncomfortable about it. They still control the lives of their children even though they are of legal age. We cannot blame them because as what is observed today, even though 18 is a legal age, most of the teenagers at this age are still very immature and make reckless decisions that can destroy their lives. Teens at this age may feel too thrilled that they can make decisions on their own; however, being reckless has brought a lot of teens behind bars, and many other social and behavioral issues. Teens have no self-control and they always want immediate gratification. Since parents are relieved from their legal responsibilities, they have little things to do when their kids run in legal troubles.

In foster care, children who are 18 years old may not need the foster home. This is because the government has no more obligations to look after them. Oftentimes, these kids venture out and look after themselves by finding suitable jobs as well as kind-hearted adults to help them finance their college needs.

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