The passage from teenager to adulthood is one of the most complicated and confusing processes an adolescent can experience. It is especially confusing since the teenager is not totally sure what it means to be an adult, and how he or she is supposed to achieve this level of maturity. If they don't know what it means to be an adult, it's much harder to attain this maturity since it is unknown to them how to reach this point. However, there are many speculations and opinions about what it means to be an adult and what one must accomplish in order to reach this point. There are certain things a teenager must understand before adulthood is reached, so this understanding is what determines when a person should be considered an adult, not the age. .
Some kids are raised differently or forced to grow up early. For example, if a teenager has five younger brothers and sisters, and is raised by a single mother, he will most likely have to make adult decisions. He will probably have to get a job and raise his siblings like a parent would. He will learn how to act like an adult and know the consequences of his decisions. This teenager thinks like an adult, acts like an adult, makes adult decisions, and is looked upon by his siblings as an authority. He has passed all of the criteria of being an adult. The only problem is, he does not look like an adult. If we say he is not an adult because of his age, then we cannot say a thirty-nine-year-old man that lives with his parents and is dependant upon his parents for everything is more mature than the teenager that is raising his siblings and helping his mother. But we cannot do this because the age does not matter. As a result, this teenager has conquered the stereotype about the age.
A person becomes an adult when he or she learns how to make the right decision. With this maturity this person is able to get respect from elders, his or her peers, or the people that look up to them.
