For ladies: when did you stop being a girl, in your own mind, and start being a woman?

Question

What was the turning point for you? If you're not there yet, when do you think it will be?

LOL the day I start taking lessons on womanhood from Britney Spears is the day I commit suicide!

aivi: I wasn't tlaking about the clinical sense; more the inner mental sense that comes from feeling comfortable with a definition that is applied to you. I doubt that many 12 year old Americans feel like they are "women". And I wanted the question geared towards females...

I think I surprised myslef, one day shortly before my 30th birthday, when I realized I truly thought of myself as a woman, in control of my own life/ destiny. I too had adult responsibilities since childhood, but all it did was made me more out-of-touch with my peers, not grwon up. I had to laugh the day, in my mid-20's, when I realized I was sitting at the "grown-up" table at a large family gathering!! That certainly was a turning point. But, like other respondents said, it was gradual.

Answer 1

Well I guess I could say when I had my first son, I was 22-- but I was still pretty imature about a lot of things.... I think when I became engaged to my husband was when I really started to think differently about myself. Not because I had a man.... but because my whole approach to that relationship was different than anything before.... and that mind set became the perspective by which I made all decisions. I stopped being ruled by my emotions and environment and started taking control of my reaction to things and people around me.... it was great-- I truly feel in charge of my life ---> my husband typed this----> {and I felt as if he made me a sexy love-starved puppy for his lovliness---he is HOT! and I mean HOT!} *sigh* so he's proven that no matter how wonderful a man is, he's still a man.

Best of luck to you on your journey.
PS-you'll need a sense of humor.
PPS- I'm now 29 and have been married 3 years this summer

Answer 2

I would say that for me it would have been within the last year... I have been mature in many ways since I was very young. In a sense I was forced to due to the way I was treated by my father. However, I believe that due to that as well, it held me back from becoming a full fledged woman because of a lot of the "issues" it gave me. I married my husband almost 4 years ago, when I was 18, and due to that a lot of people automatically labeled me as a woman. Getting married and going through a lot of the things that I have with my husband since I was around that age were definatly "womanly" things. However, in my heart I knew that I was not a woman. I have always been mature for my age but that alone never made me a woman. This last year has been a major turning point in my life. Things have not been so easy for my husband and I in a financial sense. (and I am not just talking about missing a credit card payment here and there) It has caused me to look at pretty much everything in a different light. I feel a lot more self-sustaining; I feel like I know who I am. For the most part I know what I believe and what I don't believe in. I feel complete as a person, as a woman. (For the record, I am 22.)

Answer 3

I don't feel that it was anything sudden. I still thought of myself as a 'girl' until recently. Somewhere around the age of 26 or 27, I felt like I was less 'connected' to being a girl but I really didn't feel like a 'woman' either. It was a strange in between place and I think I'm still stuck there. I'm 29 now and I no longer feel like a girl but I have trouble accepting that I'm a 'woman'. I feel that a woman is an 'adult' and I still feel too irresponsible to be calling myself a 'real' adult but I'm getting there. I think it will happen sometime in the next year or two. There are certain things I need to work out in my head before I'd be comfortable calling myself a woman. A lot of it has to do with childish behavior on my part and codependency (in romantic relationships). I'd like to work through those things first.

Answer 4

I had to grow up early. My sisters were irresponsible and I had to watch out for their children. So 8 years old would be the answer to your question. Although I wasn't physically mature, my mindset was that of a young adult. It made me a responsible adult. Every now and then, I let go and revert back to my childhood. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. LOL

Answer 5

Perhaps you should use a different word. Girls become women when they have their periods, with all the hormones that start activating which signifies womanhood.

I think you meant when one stopped being a child and became an adult.

Answer 6

In my mind, it was when I was in my very late twenties, early thirties.
I've always been very protected by my guardians and always made to feel like I wasn't ready for things, I couldn't go places, couldn't make up my mind (in their minds).
Once I moved away - to another country and another continent, in fact - got married and took responsibility for my own life, I realized that's what being a grown up - man or woman - is.

Answer 7

i'm not a girl,not yet a woman,song by britney spears,listen to it,u'll get the answer.

Answer 8

well, even if your a woman, your still a girl. haha. but when you can make your own decisions, and dont rely on your parents. your a woman.

Answer 9

First child.

Answer 10

i don't think i really ever was a girl my childhood sucked and i didn't get to be a kid