At age eighteen you still have the “teen” at the end of your age, but you actually start to see yourself as an adult. In addition to this, you expect others, especially your parents to treat you as one.

Well you are right; you are no longer a kid and the law recognises that. That is why in many countries, the legal voting age is eighteen, and of course the law believes your brain is mature enough to make decisions regarding your health and the subsequent consequences of your choices. As such, in a number of countries, the legal age to start drinking alcohol or getting married is eighteen.

However, every privilege comes with responsibility. At eighteen you need to begin thinking and acting without the “teen” at the end of the number, and that is why if you find yourself on the wrong side of the law you are not sent to a juvenile facility, but to prison.

When I was eighteen I found myself at the cross road between childhood and adulthood – later I realised this was just one of the several crossroads I will come to face – the tendency to follow my peers in adolescent fantasy and care free life was very high. Although I did not always make the best of decisions during that period, I am happy that the majority of them turned out right.

Eighteen is the crucial age which will define a person’s life; this is the age where critical and life defining decisions such as education, career, romantic relationships, friendships, values, and beliefs are made and shaped. If you get it wrong at this age, it will be extremely difficult to repair the damage in the future.

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