In my definition, I think being an adult means to have responsibility and to be independent.
First of all, I think taking responsibility is the first step of becoming an adult since the moment you become one, it’s time for you to take action of what you do and what you say. For instance, in china, legally, people reach adulthood at the age of 18, which means, if you do something violates the law, you have to go to jail or something because the court considers you are able to take responsibility for your own actions. However, I don’t think being an adult legally will really make you an adult. What I mean by that, if you are over eighteen, but you still don’t know what’s right to do, that’s not an adult at all. I think a person has to be mature to take responsibility because when you are a child, you are allowed to be childish, you can say anything you want to and no one would blame you. But if you are an adult, that’s a different case. People won’t forgive you for consequences of you being immature; you have to be responsible and live up to your words. So I think being responsible is essential to an adult.
Secondly, I think being independent is a way to show people that you are an adult. Nowadays, some college students think they are adults just because they don’t live with their parents any more and they get to choose their paths to future but they forget that when they are in college, parents still pay for their tuition fee. That’s not independent at all. I would say being independent is that you have the ability to make a living by yourself and to face this cruel society because society doesn’t always have good things. Like what I’ve read in the book <catcher in the rye>, the main character Holden Caulfield always thinks himself as an adult, but I don’t see it that way. He used his parents’ money to hang out with friends and even pretended to be an adult in bars. That’s not right. However, the way he thinks at the end of the book is good. In the book, there was this part when he said he wanted to be a catcher in the rye, so that he could pretend children from dangerous things because he thought those bad things in this world are way more than those good ones, so he wanted to pretend those very few good things. I think that’s a very adult thinking but that doesn’t really mean he is an adult.
So I think being an adult isn’t an easy thing to do since it requires people to be responsible and independent. However, these are just my own opinions. I’m sure there are a lot more different definitions in this world. All in all, becoming an adult isn’t as easy as we think it is.
First of all, I think taking responsibility is the first step of becoming an adult since the moment you become one, it’s time for you to take action of what you do and what you say. For instance, in china, legally, people reach adulthood at the age of 18, which means, if you do something violates the law, you have to go to jail or something because the court considers you are able to take responsibility for your own actions. However, I don’t think being an adult legally will really make you an adult. What I mean by that, if you are over eighteen, but you still don’t know what’s right to do, that’s not an adult at all. I think a person has to be mature to take responsibility because when you are a child, you are allowed to be childish, you can say anything you want to and no one would blame you. But if you are an adult, that’s a different case. People won’t forgive you for consequences of you being immature; you have to be responsible and live up to your words. So I think being responsible is essential to an adult.
Secondly, I think being independent is a way to show people that you are an adult. Nowadays, some college students think they are adults just because they don’t live with their parents any more and they get to choose their paths to future but they forget that when they are in college, parents still pay for their tuition fee. That’s not independent at all. I would say being independent is that you have the ability to make a living by yourself and to face this cruel society because society doesn’t always have good things. Like what I’ve read in the book <catcher in the rye>, the main character Holden Caulfield always thinks himself as an adult, but I don’t see it that way. He used his parents’ money to hang out with friends and even pretended to be an adult in bars. That’s not right. However, the way he thinks at the end of the book is good. In the book, there was this part when he said he wanted to be a catcher in the rye, so that he could pretend children from dangerous things because he thought those bad things in this world are way more than those good ones, so he wanted to pretend those very few good things. I think that’s a very adult thinking but that doesn’t really mean he is an adult.
So I think being an adult isn’t an easy thing to do since it requires people to be responsible and independent. However, these are just my own opinions. I’m sure there are a lot more different definitions in this world. All in all, becoming an adult isn’t as easy as we think it is.