When You Were 18...
When you were 18 years old, were you completely independent and had your own house, a job etc, or did you still live with your parents?
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When you were 18 years old, were you completely independent and had your own house, a job etc, or did you still live with your parents?
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I'm about to be 18 soon and 100% dependant on my parents.
The vague notion of getting my own house or getting a job genuinely scares me becuase I rely on my parents even for making me food.
edit: is that sad? I just read that back and it sounds really sad...but literally everybody I know at my school is the same.
The occasional person might have a part time job at a local market or something but the thing you have to understand is that mentally, most of us 18 year olds are barely out of childhood.
Hell no, I wasn't independent at all.
Picturing my 18-year-old-senior-year-self on my own is like picturing a puppy getting torn to shreds by walkers.
In august ill be 18 and ill still be living at Home with my parents
18 currently. Want to leave my parent's house, but I am in no financial shape to do so. I'll probably live with them through college.
23 years old and still at home. That isn't a bad thing tho. Even if society around you tells you otherwise, it's just a matter of perspective. In other cultures, families stay together forever. So don't let others put tons of pressure on you only because they think you should live your life in a certain way. In order to appeal to the masses. Fuq that.
My mother, my sister and me have a great relationship, we are all pretty clingy, but that's fine.
I only have a mini-job right now and my life is still too complicated for me to have an apprenticeship or a full-time job. Also, living alone is absolutely impossible for me and I have no one I could move in together with. Only time will tell what happens next.
I'm currently 18 years old and no, I don't have my own place. I have a job, but its only minimum wage and I can't really live off that. And plus, the housing market in my state is awful. It's still gonna be a while before I'm living on my own.
When I was 18 I still lived with my parents. When high school ended I got a job at Pizza Hut and went to a community college. I paid them $400 a month rent but they provided food and utilities so it wasn't such a bad deal. However I really wanted to be out of their house and the way things were going it didn't look like that would be happening any time soon, so at 19 I quit everything and joined the Army as a combat engineer. Still doing that right now, actually. If you really have no clear direction right now and don't know what to do with your life you could always join the military.
It isn't sad at all, man.
Its a societal expectation to be out of the house by then (even when you aren't living in a dorm). But what's interesting about that, (assuming you live in the United States like me, if not, disregard this post), is living on your own at 18 without help from a parent is pretty much impossible now.
You can thank the value of the dollar dropping for that. There was actually a point in time where this could be done. Boy, oh boy what a concept.
The adult world is a cold and unforgiving place so you absolutely have every right to fear entering it. Hell, I had a breakdown just a few short days before my graduation just because I was so horrified of becoming an adult. Everything will be a-okay, bud. But I can't lie to you: That transition is hands down one of the scariest things you'll ever face in your entire time on Earth, but I believe in you.
Thanks for the kind words.
Well I live in Ireland, in my case the money wouldn't be a huge problem.
If I needed to my family could support me living on my own, however we're very close, so much so that I wouldn't dream of leaving them until I had enough money to provide for myself which could be at any time in the future.
I was living on my own at 17 actually. But it was by my own choice, I wasn't in school and had a decent paying job so I moved all of two doors down the street into a shitty attic apartment that stank of cat piss, had a pretty bad roach infestation and the paint was peeling off the walls. God I miss that place. But since I lived two houses down from my mommy I raided her fridge daily and always had a place to get dinner at night, so I guess I sort of lived at home. But that was like 20 years ago and even then kids lived at home well past 18 so I was more of an anomaly even then.
I was still in high school, so I lived with my folks. The ideal of moving out at 18 was a product of a time when a lot of people married early and went straight from high school to well-paid industrial jobs. It's still possible under the right circumstances, but not that common anymore. Factory jobs just aren't there these days, more people go to college (some going into debt) and wages just don't go as far as they used to.
Best options for leaving home early are probably living on campus, going to trade school and getting a good blue-collar job or joining the military.
I doubt that a regular 18 yo is ready to live by themselves and stay alive/sane for more than a month, unless they are feeling mature and experienced.
Being independent sounds fun, but in reality, it's better to stay with your parents as long as you need to become responsible enough to handle yourself without them controlling you. If you want to move out, sure, but do it step by step, learn to manage money and appreciate the things your parents do for you, because you sure as hell gonna miss them.
I'm 20 right now and still living with my family. So I'm not independent yet but I'm almost there. Hopefully in the next couple weeks I'll be able to move in with my partner and become an actual adult.
When I was 18 I was still Living with my mom I just can't stay away from the family but st times I'm independent when I get groceries for her or get out of the apartment and give the manigent the check that pays the rent.
Theirs nothing wrong being a mama's boy.
When I was 18 (2000) I was most likely either homeless or living in a youth home.
Shit no. I didn't even get my first job until I was in college at 19.
Edit: First REAL job I mean. I did flyers and ran the school store in junior high school.
I just recently turned 19 and I'm currently taking my gap year, garnering up work experience, getting myself into shape, planning for my future, studying ahead of time and learning essential life skills and I still live with my parents, although now I'm the one paying for the groceries and my mom's shopping xD
I must say, the thought of starting a new life, all alone without much financial aid is rather terrifying, I'll be off to University next year and likely for the next three years after that and I'm still unsure about what I want to really do afterwards or whether I even want to do all four years but I'm hoping that it will open up new opportunities for me but it's going to be weird having a completely blank start.
Also, I don't think it's bad or sad for people to stay with their families (however old they are), there's absolutely nothing wrong with staying around the people you've grown up with and come to know for all your life.
Completely agree, if the family has a good relationship and staying with your parents after 18 doesn't bother them then you shouldn't feel shame for doing it, actually it's a pretty smart move since you won't have to pay nearly as much to live as you would if you were to be independent. However, while young adults are still living at their parent's house they should begin to learn the basic skills to survive alone e.g cooking, cleaning, dealing with paperwork... even if they don't plan on moving out any soon, at least to thank their families for lodging them by giving a hand.
When I was 18, I was a boy, I was a man, and I just didn't know what I want...
In case anyone is wondering. I'm wondering, how has no one posted this yet...:
Yes, that goes without saying, I assume.
Well said.
Well, I am 18, turning 19 in august. I rely 100% on my parents. But I know that after I've finished my studies (in 3 to 5 years), I'll learn how to drive, cook and I'll get an appartment. I'm not planning on staying here forever, as much as I love my parents.
My 24 years old brother and my 28 years old sister also still live here. They don't have a job. My sister does help my parents a little bit financially though. It's complicated. Sometimes I feel bad for my parents because my siblings are really immature and don't really respect the "rules" of the house, and they're really shallow people. I know they feel upset that none of us are working or studying at the moment and we're just there doing nothing. I feel guilty about it (even though they don't complain about me) so I try to help them when I can.
The other people I know of my age though, it's pretty 50/50. Some of them live with their parents and some of them live on their own to go to college.
Ha i wish.
I lived at my boyfriends flat, went to college (art) and made money by selling drugs at punk gigs, my mum gave me good rates so I guess she was supporting me in a fucked up kind of way.
I am 18 and I still life with my parents because they always treated me like a special person because I have autism and more so they learned my sister everything and didn't want to learn me anything untill my therapist had to grab in.
I think I live at their home for a few years more untill I have a job and a friend to spend the house/apartment with.
I'm 18 atm and mostly dependent on my mom. I have my own apartment and financial aid + my job covers most of the rent but I still have to rely on my mom to help me afford living in the stupid Bay Area lol
Well, I moved out with 19 and am 20 now. But I would lie if I said I was independent from my parents, and I'm living in a student home with affordable rent and amneties included.
With 18 though, I sat on my ass and watched TV and played video games all day, till way too long after finishing school in mid 2015 to be honest.
Wasn't independent, worked at a 99 Cents store, started college.
I still lived at home, hang out with friends, watched TV, worked part time and enjoyed life...
like now.. d'uh!
I'm still living with my mom...
I am teenager