Growing up has never been easy. Even though the past seems like a simpler time in retrospect, our world is complex and it always has been. But there is one thing from the past that made growing up easier: In most societies, there have been rituals and ceremonies for becoming an adult.
In modern times, aside from a high school graduation ceremony, there are few rites of passage that all young people go through that signals “You’re an adult now.” Not everyone completes high school, and graduation only means that a person has reached a level of accomplishment in one area of life, academics.
Maybe that’s why so many young people enter the working world or college very unprepared. What they know depends on what their family has shared — so the skills of an average 18-year-old are almost entirely dependent on a small number of people.
I – Word Understanding
Retrospect – remembering the past
Rite of passage – a ceremony indicating transition from one stage to another (e.g. adolescence to adulthood)
II – Have Your Say
Here are some skills 18-year-olds should have by the age of 18:
1. Household chores (cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc.)
2. Handling stress and other emotions
3. Dealing with bureaucracies (filling out forms like financial aid application, apartment contract, passport renewal, etc.)
4. Taking risks
5. Communications skills
6. Navigating the world (reading train schedules & maps, researching and booking flights, etc.)
7. When and how to ask for help.
