When Is Someone Grown?????

I just posted a comment on Ashley's blog http://drpryor.blogspot.com/2010/02/when-is-someone-considered-grown.html in response to her question, what makes someone grown or an adult??? This is a topic that has kind of been of interest for a while now. I am a 24-year-old adult and sometimes when I encounter older or younger people, I realize that everyone's idea of what an adult is will not be the same. In my opinion, an adult is a person regardless of age, that is self-sufficient-they pay for their own bills and expenses, takes responsibility for their actions-they know when they were right or wrong, they respect others-being the bigger person comes with adulthood, and they respect themself-they uphold an image based off how they want to be perceived. Being able to do whatever you want does not make anyone an adult. Maturity also can not be determined by age either because a person can acquire knowledge and maturity at a young age due to the fact everyone experiences and grasps on to life at different phases of their life which can be at any age. I know 20-year-old adults that pay for their own expenses, have their priorities straight, and they are very mature. Maturity to me is not about knowing everything, it is about learning from mistakes in the past, being able to correct them, and finding new solutions to not make that mistake or decision again. Maturity is something that comes along with adulthood, but maturity does not establish being an adult nor does having a baby, renting an apartment, or having a car. You can be a mature person but be dependent, irresponsible, and make bad decisions. There are a few things that makes someone an adult.

1-Self-Sufficiency-Being able to go out and get a job in order to pay for one's own costs and expenses. Looking for easy money, a get rich scheme, or looking for other's to pay your way is very childish and unadultlike. An adult is someone that pays for things they want and not trying to make excuses for not being able to pay for their own things.

2-Stability-Being able to work a job or stay in a residence for a while is a sign of being an adult and a sign of maturity. Bouncing around and not being able to dedicate yourself to anything is a sign of immaturity and uncertainty.

3-Responsibility for one's actions. Being able to admit faults, insecurities, and failures is apart of being an adult because an adult learns from their mistakes and does not blame others or make excuses for their actions this is something a child does which shows immaturity and lack of growth on the individual's part.

4-Keeping Priorities Straight-Being able to set goals and achieve them. A lot of people tend to not keep their priorites straight which includes paying bills on time, attending school, working a job, and continuing to achieve short and long term goals. As an adult, you must establish a life for yourself because if you do not you will always be starting over based off the fact you did not achieve or strive for anything.

5-Respecting Others and Yourself-Being an adult means being able to be the bigger person and having respect for others and their property. Also having respect for yourself is definitely a sign of adulthood which means the person is confident and knows their own boundaries, expectations, morals, and values which is something that usually adults possess.

I am not going to lie it took me a while to learn all of these things and I realized that being an adult does come with time and eveyone will mature when they are ready to mature. Just because I may not have a baby or live on my own right now that does not make me "less" of an adult or any less responsible, or adultlike. And some people never mature into adults and stay stuck in a teenage realm.