Why do parents only have to keep their children untill they're eighteen?

Question

Something I've been wondering for awhile. Why not 19? Why not 21? Why is it eighteen?

Answer 1

Because 18 is the most common age of a person who graduates high school. This is the point in their life when they have been given a "complete" education and are considered prepared to enter the work force. This in effect means that this is the point when a person is able to get a real job, make money, and care for themselves.

The vast majority of animals care for their offspring only long enough to teach the young animal how to function independantly and care for itself. The same is true for humans. Once a child is able to function on their own, the parent no longer is needed to care for the child to ensure the child's survival. Again, since 18 is the age when most children complete their basic education, this is the age when they are expected to function independantly.

In order to enforce laws about parental responsibility, the government needed a dividing line between childhood and adulthood that would determine when a parent is and is not responsible for their offspring. So, they went with the age that was most common for completion of life-preparedness: graduation from high school. They couldn't just say that the time is whenever a child finishes school, because there are many people who would purposely not graduate to avoid growing up, there are people who drop out, and nowadays there are kids graduatiing at 14. They needed a definite age, so they used the most common one.

If someone has been determined by the court to be unable to care for themselves, such as for reasons of mental illness, mental handicap, or disability, then the government can assign responsibility for that person to the parent or another third party for as long as it is determined the person will not be able to take care of themselves.

So it all goes back to societal acceptance and custom for when a person is considered capable of making their own decisions and making their own living. And 18 is what is most commonly accepted as that age.

Answer 2

At eighteen, it's assumed that you've already been working for a couple of years (even if only in part-time positions), have the hang of it, and are ready to strike out on your own. Prolonging childhood seems to serve no real purpose, other than to keep the young adult in a state of perpetual helplessness and false "childhood", and is a financial and emotional drain on the parents.

Answer 3

Because at 18, a person is considered responsible enough to fend for themselves. Now a person can still be at home until 21 if they are going to college but something is wrong if they are still at home at that age relying on mom and dad to fork out the money for their needs unless the parents allow it then to each their own! Different people, different rules.

Answer 4

That's not exactly right. Eighteen is the adult age, which means their children can decide to leave home. Bu parents still have some legal obligations after that age...

Answer 5

The term adult describes any mature organism, but normally it refers to a human: one that is no longer a child / minor and is now either a man or a woman. Coming of age is the event of becoming an adult, i.e. of entering adulthood. Historically, adulthood has been determined by puberty, which is physical or biological adulthood; passing a series of tests to demonstrate the child is prepared for adulthood; or reaching a specified age, sometimes in conjunction with demonstrating preparation. Most modern societies determine legal adulthood based on reaching a legally-specified age without requiring a demonstration of physical maturity or preparation for adulthood.

"Adult" also means "not considered suitable for children", in particular as a euphemism for being related to sexual behaviour, such as adult entertainment, adult video, adult magazine, adult bookstore. However, adult education simply means education for adults, not particularly sex education.

Answer 6

God recognizes that for 18 years, parents have suffered enough to raise their offspring, who have often kicked and screamed and complained for the entire time, dirtying the house, pilfering food, fighting with siblings, coming home with poor report cards, staying out too late, avoiding household chores and responsibilities, overspending their allowances.....and...He grants merciful reprieve.

Answer 7

B/c that's what the government decided was the age to be legally independent.

Answer 8

They are considered grown then, I myself stayed at home a bit longer than that and glad that I did

Answer 9

Who says. Seemed like they would never leave the nest.

Answer 10

because most teens r stupid and dont want to face the fact that even though their yuong they dont have to live by parents. (**** em) you dont have to live with parents. you can emancipate if you desire.