20, out of school living in my own apt first career job in Northern MN.

I am guessing that those in the military, risking their lives, become adults pretty damn fast. Other than that, perhaps when one has to care for a child and an elderly parent, perhaps at the same time. I have to give the nod to those in the military. I did not personally feel like an adult until I was taking care of my mom after her stroke.

I’m still immature as hell so I probably haven’t reached the understanding phase yet.

December 31st, 1974. Had just turned 24 that October.

With the simple phrase "I Do" I went from being a single E4 without a care in the world to being a married E4 with a wife, 3 kids, a house payment and a car payment.

That'll adult the shit out of ya!

Stage Two came about 20 years later when I finally acknowledged that alcohol and I were not a good mix.

Moved out at 19 to serve a religious mission for 2 years and was financially independent at 22, married at 22 and a father at 24. Somewhere in there

I dabbled in adulting with my paper route. It taught me quite a bit about people and the little neighborhood I grew up in.
Childhood ended at 18 in a big way when a nuke loaded B-52 was rolling down the ramp in front of me.

Being a productive, contributing member of society? Somewhere between fourteen and fifteen. Adulting? Fugetaboutit! I may grow older, but I refuse to grow up.

“Adulting?!?”

You must be a millennial

I've heard it said that one is not truly an "adult" until you become responsible for another person's life and well being. Or put another way, when someone is dependent upon you. That sounds about right. I'd say therefore it was when I got married and my wife and I became dependent upon each other. Then of course when we had our daughter, that took it to another level.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
I've heard it said that one is not truly an "adult" until you become responsible for another person's life and well being. Or put another way, when someone is dependent upon you. That sounds about right. I'd say therefore it was when I got married and my wife and I became dependent upon each other. Then of course when we had our daughter, that took it to another level.

This is great.

22, I was off probation and bought a house.

18, when I got into law school, and started voting conservative.

Self-supporting at 18. Got married, bought a new truck and a house at 20. Average it out and it was probably when I was 19.

quote:

Originally posted by Steyn:
18, when I got into law school, and started voting conservative.

You got into law school at 18? Damn.

24 before the light switched on and i figured out there are consequences to you actions and I better change my act. I'm 55 now and I consider myself a kid at heart.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:

quote:

Originally posted by Steyn:
18, when I got into law school, and started voting conservative.

You got into law school at 18? Damn.

Before you get too easily impressed by my (non-existant) exceptionality, I must add that, in the place I come from (in South America), there are no ”introductory” courses, like a B.A., a B.C. or a B.Sc: we go straight from high school to professional courses like Law, Engineering or Medicine (on the other hand, said courses last way longer than here in North America; a LL.B., for instance, will normally take 5.5 years to complete, as opposed to the North American standard of 3 years plus one year of articling).

In between grade 12 and university, there is a BRUTAL, all-encompassing SAT, covering EVERYTHING you’ve supposedly learnt all your life. Those with the best SAT scores get in the courses they applied for; those who do not try again next year.

Sorry for the thread drift; I just wanted to clarify.

Next year, surely.

It was a continuous process. I worked my way through college so my parents didn't have to pay for most of it. When I graduated I was working at a nuclear power plant, they don't tolerate much on the job. When my wife and I got married in 1988, at her insistence, I was 29. Our son was born 4 years later. That was probably the end (for the most part) of my path to truly being an adult.

When I put my Jack Russell Terrier Ringo down at 14. That was 3 years ago when I was 62.

I could say it was when I was 17 and enlisted in the army. Or, when I was 14, working to earn enough money to buy my own clothes, pay for my school costs, and pay room and board to live at home.

Got married at 20 as an E3, had a daughter at 21, made E5 about 8 months after marriage. Worked part time jobs while still in the army to compensate for the truly shitty pay we were getting.

Got sent to Iran as an advisor for a year. Only debt we have incurred since our first new car purchase in 1958 was when we bought this house. And that was paid off in less than 3 years. Destroyed our savings account, but putting that mortgage money back into our savings account instead of to the mortgage company really set us up. Hard times? Yes, occasionally, but neither of us has ever regretted out lives.