The Cauldron

It's a struggle becoming an adult during your college years.

When is it time to settle down? Should I have children while I'm still in college? What major do I really want to declare? Should I get into a relationship? What am I doing with my life? Should I stop partying? When does the partying stop? Do people even take me seriously?

Case Western Reserve submitted an article to eurekalert.org about how "becoming an adult takes longer these days." The article suggests that most young people caught between adolescence and adulthood are reaching out to their families more and more for support.

Richard Settersten Jr., chair of Case's department of sociology and co-editor of the book On the Frontier of Adulthood stated, "Although pinpointing the onset of adulthood is not easy, it's most certainly not the magic legal ages of 18 or 21."

I agree with what he says because once I hit 18, I felt nothing. Graduating high school was a blur and all I could really think of was "Hey! Now I can vote," which I didn't even do until I was 19. And when I turn 21, I'll be able to drink legally. That doesn't make me an adult. That doesn't make me anything but a 21-year-old Cleveland State journalism major who can drink and vote.

"Adulthood no longer begins when adolescence ends," Settersten said.

Settersten goes on to talk about the "traditional markers" of adulthood: leaving home, finishing school, starting a job, getting married, and having children. I got the leaving home part down, but I haven't done anything else.

The only reason why I feel that I am more mature on the adulthood level than some of my other peers is because of my drive, ambition, lack of a desire to party hard, and all the hard work that I do. I consider anyone an adult if they know where they want to go and are trying their hardest to get there. Of course I like to drink; but, if all you want to do is party, get drunk, and/ or get high . . . you are not an adult. You are still a struggling adolescent.

My first job was when I was 14. I haven't stopped working for a long period of time since. I pay all my bills myself, I am trying to get a place instead of living on campus, I do my own grocery shopping, I have a car that I have to pay insurance on, I have a job, I write for three newspapers, I'm a full-time student, and I wash my own clothes. I feel independent and proud of it. It does make me feel mature and I feel I can be considered an adult.

According to Settersten though, it's more about interdependence than independence. The people who wrote On the Frontier of Adulthood stated that the costs of childrearing now occur between the ages 18 and 34 and that the numbers have increased in the last 30 years.

Sometimes I think about how it was back in the day; girls were married off at 14 and 15. Sometimes, I wish I was them. I like security and peace. But, sometimes I don't wish I was them because most of the time it was to men they never met or cared for. But it's truly the want of stability and love for me; the want to be complete. In all truthfulness, I want the work to be done and the cake to already be iced. I'm done baking.

This could be called immature because of the fact that I'm whining about how I don't want to do the work to get where I'm going - I just want to be there already. But, I don't see it as that. There is nothing wrong with wanting life to be settled. Some people may think its wrong because I'm only 20, but I've wanted this since before I can remember.

It's a struggle becoming an adult. The only person who can tell you when you are ready to settle down, get married and so forth is yourself. There is really no help line here. You have to make your own ADULT decisions if you want to be an adult. But be careful because once it starts, there is no way to stop it.

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