Getting tired of seeing these 17-18 year olds being called children. There are a good portion of us out here that had adult lives at these ages. At 17 and some months I'd graduated and moved to Alaska, several people I know had joined the military by then. So what's the childhood cutoff? I'd call them just young men and women.
There really are a lot of potential dividing lines.
We trust them to drive at 16.
We trust them to sign contracts and be responsible for themselves with no parental interference at 18.
We don't trust them to drink until 21.
They can't be "dependents" after 24, except in rare cases.
They are still "dependents" until 26 for health insurance policies.
The brain is not fully formed until 25.
They can get an abortion at any age without parental knowledge or consent, but they can't take an aspirin on their own until they are out of school.
Generally, if it supports one's point to call them "kids" (like, they aren't experienced enough to opine on a subject, or the cops shot mamma's po' baby boi), then they are kids. If it is supporting of one's point to call them young men/women (i.e., an 18 year old who shoots at a cop, or shoots up a school, or breaks into someone's home), then they are men/women.
At least, this is how it seems to me.
