Essay Sample for Students: Childhood Expiry Date

Answering the rhetorical question on 'how old is old enough?' entices wild ideas, criticisms, philosophies, and myths from all walks of life. Each style or theory applied to elaborate on the actual expiry date from childhood to adulthood has its own credibility depending on the point of view used (Rampell, 2009). This paper will explore the different perspectives applied by science, culture, and politics on the exert point in live everybody transits childhood to adulthood. The paper will draw an argumentative analysis of existing body of knowledge to draw appropriate perception owning to maturity stage on universal scales and common ground conclusions.

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Different arguments have emerged from various countries set various ranges and stages to mark children's entry to adulthood. The majority of the global states define adults as the attainment of eighteen years. People stop being treated as children anymore on their eighteenth birthday. In Mexico, juvenile convicts are transported from juvenile confinements at night minutes before they attain eighteen years. This act is due to the legal stipulation of adult age being legally recognized to be attained immediately after reaching eighteen years. In some countries where different responsibilities come in handy with the attainment of adulthood, people are able to access some privileges when they reach a certain age. For instance, children in many states in the United States of America can have driving licenses at the age of sixteen years while in other countries they need to wait to be eighteen. Majority of countries' laws dictate that alcohol cannot be sold to children under the age of twenty-one while others recommend eighteen years. However, the strong arguments and recommendation on when to do this or that based on age attainment do not still signify proper entry to adulthood in the universal standard. There are individuals with the legal age to be allowed to do a certain thing yet they are still very irresponsible as compares to other children of younger ages. This argument thus shows that age could be just a number not the credible measure of accountability for transition into adult life.

The definition of the term adult can take different meaning depending on the concept used to show maturity. The social, cultural and scientific differences in defining the right time to show maturity defer between the different socio-cultural and economic setups individuals find themselves in. In some cultures, individuals are considered to attain maturity based on their physical growth and task capabilities. The physical growth of teenagers shows that growing breasts and beards are common measures to show that children are gradually exiting childhood to maturity. Body changes, especially in girls, are accustomed to the onset of their menstrual cycles to symbolize their entry point into adulthood. However, all this mythical and flawed definition of childhood expiry dates differ between individuals because different people experience different point to develop physical changes in growth; therefore, discrediting the chance of having an elaborate date to signify universal point for everyone to transit into adulthood.

A scientific approach to human being brain maturity shows that the neuroscience argument on sequential development of the human brain follows a similar path despite the race and gender of the individuals. However, the credibility of these arguments in a scientific perspective fails to give answers on the difference in conduct and abilities among adults of the same age. Following these Neuroscientists perception of how children transform into young adults fail to give a definite point at which all people's transit into the next phase of life (Slotnik, 2012). The science approach of this argument even makes the understanding of human development because it shows that human brain follows different developmental phases and certain life aspects do not make significant sense until young adults are in their early thirties, posing a challenge on whether the legal age of considering people adults should be increased to thirty or lowered to fifteen or below(Star, 2016). The scientific argument of the distinct timetable gearing to childhood expiry date shows lack of rational point to elaborate on when one should conduct themselves in manners to signify their adulthood or childhood. Though some scientific approaches to show the difference in capacity and ability between children and adults, there lacks a specific timeline to show the actual point when a child is able to fully perceive themselves as adults.

Depending on the conversation and concept young people are subjected to in the debate on whether they are adults are yet, many young people will tend to portray their adulthood when the instigating subject feels enticing and liberating them from parental or adult control. For instance, when young people are asked whether they feel like they are adults and would wish to have total control of their lives many would tend to agree on their maturity, but when requested to fully take responsibility of their lives they tend to show dependence reluctance to let go. This argument shows that young people feel they are 'half adult' at one point they want to be liberated from adult control but at other points, they fell they should be provided for. All these posterities show that people mature at different points because not all young people would want to have adults providing for them (Greenblatt, 2009). Some gain independence at very young ages while others take too long to mature. The concept of prolonged adolescence or early onset of adulthood shows the difference in different individuals exiting childhood to show their adult personality.

In conclusion, coming up with a definite date to signify the exert point or date when everyone transits to adulthood makes a total flown to the total idea. Different people mature at different paces depending on their individual uniqueness outside scientific, social and cultural forces. Therefore, coming up with an appropriate date to exit childhood to transit to adulthood makes an impossible task to ever point a single point for universal standards.

Works cited

Greenblatt, Alan "What is the Age of Responsibility?" Public Safety & Justice, 2009. Retrieved from http://www.governing.com/topics/public-justice-safety/What-is-the-Age.html

Rampell, Catherine. How Old Is Old Enough? The New York Times Nov. 14, 2009

Slotnik, Daniel E, When do You Become and Adult? The learning Network: The New York Times, May 30, 2012. Retrieved from https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/30/when-do-you-become-an-adult/ on 24th April 2018.

Star, English II: Persuasive Scoring Guide, Texas Education Agency, 2016.