By the time you read this, I will already have turned 18. I will no longer be a child; I will no longer be a little boy in the eyes of the government.
I will be able to gamble, buy a lotto ticket, cigarettes, and spray paint. I don’t smoke, and don’t plan too, but the point is that now I can. A world of possibilities is opening, while another closes.
My birthday is March 23. That means I am legally an adult.
As long as I am in school I can stay on my parents’ insurance, but once I am out of college it’s on me. I can sign things for myself and I am my own legal guardian. On one hand, I am looking forward to it, but on the other hand I really do not want it to be here.
In our society, you are stigmatized for living with your parents after you are 18. I don’t know why and I disagree with it. I love my parents and want to stay with them for more than just the next seven days or until the end of my high school career. I love the idea of spending time with the two people that raised me and staying with them a little while longer while I still have them because, as sad as it is, they won’t be around forever. I think it would be best to enjoy them while I still have them.
Other less-pertinent reasons for wanting to stay home: the free rent and no-cost mechanic help from my dad (I pay only for parts).
I still have so much to learn from my parents. My dad is the most talented man I know; he can fix anything, build anything, and pretty much do anything. There isn’t one area of expertise he doesn’t have. Everyday, I learn more from him than anywhere else.
Another reason for wanting to stay home: My siblings. My little brother is already mostly grown up; he is only a few years younger than me. My sister? She will only be a little kid once and I would rather not be the big brother that moved away and never got to see her after he moved out. I’d rather her grow up with me around, the way I grew up with her.
After I move out, there will never be an opportunity to live with my entire family in the same house again — Mom, Dad, Brother and Sister. I don’t want to leave that just yet, and I am going to take advantage of that for as long as I can.
— Kyler Lacey is a senior at Kingston High School and a Running Start student at Olympic College.
