It's good to finally be an adult. As of 5 a.m. on May 23, I was officially welcomed into the world of adulthood.
Yes, I can buy cigarettes now (even though I don't smoke, nor would I ever consider it). I can drive past 11 p.m. (although usually I'm quite tired after 11, and I just want to go to bed). I can even vote (and I will most certainly be the first person at the polls on Nov. 4).
I even flaunted my adulthood when I left for college in Philadelphia. I was an official independent adult — eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted; staying up as late as I wanted; playing my music as LOUD as I wanted — basically doing what I assumed all the other adults in the world were doing. Adulthood was pretty good.
Then something changed. Just recently, I went to see a theater production with a large group of my peers, because, of course, adults go to theater productions all the time. And while we were sitting there, I heard a woman behind me whisper to her comrade, "Wouldn't it be nice to be able to separate the children from the adults?"
WHAT? Couldn't this woman see that I was 18 — a legal adult? Wasn't it obvious that I was in the adult club now?
Then I looked over at my peers — my fellow 18-year-olds — who were gabbing loudly, giggling profusely and texting on their phones nonstop, all while wearing clothes that weren't quite theater-appropriate.
It was then I realized that with age does not come wisdom.
Simply because we are old enough to buy cigarettes doesn't mean half of the 18-year-old population is smart enough not to smoke them. Simply because we can eat whatever we want doesn't mean we are mature enough to not ingest Whoppers or Big Macs at every meal. Simply because we have the right to vote doesn't mean that all of us will care enough to even register.
I knew it was how I reacted to life's daily stressors and road bumps that had made me feel like an "adult," whether I was 8 or 18. Adding another year on to my life hadn't made me an adult ... it was when I decided to only buy one shirt at the mall, instead of maxing out my credit card.
It was the time I made my own dentist appointment, instead of nagging my mom to call. It was the time I decided to apply for a job, instead of begging my parents for money.
Adulthood isn't something we enter into at a certain age. It's something into which we slowly evolve. Some of us never evolve completely. Even those of us who feel we have reached that next level of maturity still get the urge to watch Disney movies sometimes or gab all night long with friends.
So for those who are wondering what it means to be a true adult, remember this: Adulthood has little to do with your age. And when that day arrives — whether it is tomorrow or 50 years from now — you will know if you're in the club or not.
Leah Stoner is a graduate of Cocalico High School and attends Temple University. E-mail her at YourLife@LNPnews.com. 