How old is old enough?
Many milestones in life are determined by the law, such as when we can vote, get married or go to war. Then there are drinking, smoking or sexual activity, which the law attempts to govern according to aged-based regulation, with only limited success. Even amongst activities which are illegal at any age, different cultural attitudes often bestow judgments of age appropriateness.
All throughout March we’ll be showcasing the opinions of those who’ve struggled with difficult questions about how old is old enough, whether in their role as regulator, policy maker, law enforcer, academic, or citizen.
Are you struggling over decisions about how old is old enough with your teenager? Have you ever felt discriminated against based on your age? In instances where the law is unclear, are there standards we can turn to for help? Are you ever too old?
If you have a strong view then tell us, how old you believe is old enough.
That’s the question we’ll be repeating throughout March.
Many milestones in life are determined by the law, such as when we can vote, get married or go to war.
Then there are those activities, such as drinking, smoking or sexual activity, which the law attempts to govern according to aged based regulation, with only limited success.
Even amongst activities which are illegal at any age, such as euthanasia or illicit drugs, different cultural attitudes often bestow judgments of age appropriateness.
We want to know where you think the law is out of touch with reality. Tell us, what is it that needs to change; our attitudes or the statutes?
Rites of passage change and shift across generations, and not always in a consistent direction. Are you struggling over decisions about how old is old enough with your teenager, or even more problematically with your tweenager? Use this forum to share any good advice about negotiating boundaries.
Considering the kids seem "all grown up" at fourteen years old, how come they’re still not paying rent when they’re twenty-five? If you have a twenteen that refuses to leave the nest we’d love to hear about how your family decides how old is old enough.
As a parent, not only do you grapple with picking the right age for what you let your kids do, but what you let them know. In an information age, it’s harder to shelter them. Perhaps you have found that your parental discretion to decide how old id old enough has been usurped by the media. Are you fighting a loosing battle on this front?
Have you ever felt discriminated against based on your age?
Was the perceived problem that you were you too young or too old?
Tell us how you dealt with it.
Questions surrounding how old is enough become most personal during those phases of our lives when we are the outliers the rest of society refers to as "youth" or "the aged". How can governments improve community consultation to ensure they are hearing from all citizens regardless of their age?
Of course, it’s not just about the letter of the law, but also about how it is enforced.
Do anti-discrimination laws have the power to offer any protection against the power of often unspoken social attitudes? In instances where the law is unclear, are there standards we can turn to for help?
All throughout March we’ll be showcasing the opinions of those who’ve struggled with difficult questions about how old is old enough, whether in their role as regulator, policy maker, law enforcer, academic, or citizen. Some of the issues covered will be how old is old enough to: start potty-training, choose which parent you live with, lift p-plate restrictions and make decisions about aged care. That’s just for a start.
When making decisions about how old is old enough there are bound to be disagreements and the best answer will invariably be… well, that depends.
Are you ever too old?
If you have a strong view then tell us, how old you believe is old enough.
______________________________________________
Follow the links below to read the related blogs and articles, you can login in and post your comments in response. Or, if you have any general comments just post them as a comment on the noticeboard below.
If you would like to contribute you own blog of 500-800 words please contact srose@openforum.com.au for more information or to forward your submission. If you are new to blogging, check out our Top 10 Blogging Tips for a start.
Somebody you want to hear from on this issue? Let us know and we will do our best to get their opinion for you, email contributor suggestions to srose@openforum.com.au
______________________________________________
RELATED BLOGS & ARTICLES:
- Childish Consumerism – by Alison Gordon
- How old is old enough to … get pocket money? – Catherine Fritz-Kalish
by catherine
Open Forum is an interactive policy discussion website hosted and moderated by Global Access Partners (GAP).
0 Comments
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Twister
March 19, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Of course age matters
In today's society although age still matters, obviously legally and socially but people are trying too hard to be more at ease with their age, where once it was rude to ask a person's age today most people announce their age to show no complexity about their age, which in my opinion too much emphasis on their age portrays problem and complexity.
Does discrimination exist when it come to age??? yes, both young or old. socially if you are too young you don't know enough and have little experience in life, if you are too old, depending who calls old too old and what is old, then you are too old to understand and or even mingle or act certain ways. somehow though we have managed to push age backward like today's 40 year old is considered 30, so would this mean that today's 30 year old is 20 and 20 is 10??? Legally of course age is indicative of certain action and well hopefully it will matter specially when it comes to consumption of alcohol, tobacco, driving and marriage. Legal control in all that may not be as strong as we think they are, teenagers are still consuming alcohol and tobacco also driving illegally but at least we know this control lowers the percentage of havoc caused by those actions, especially at an age which these young people are more so delusional. There are not that many legal restriction on older age only maybe immigration laws and also harder for an older person, by older I mean people over the age of 60 or up, to get approval for loan compared to someone younger, oh actually you don't see many 40 year olds and older participants in the Olympics and other sports? they are considered too too old. I know as a 40 something year old it would be totally ridiculous for me to go to night clubs were there are populated by 20 year olds, sad and humorous actually.
Of course age matters. Although sometimes size over rules age, hahaha, for example my 10 year old is the size of a 14 year old and so I at times give her over counter medicines that is recommended for 12 and up, well the reason for it is that a lot of medicines especially for children is designed for the assumed size of the child and not so much to do with age.
Age matters to me, At times I won't tell people my age to protect my rights and avoid discrimination.:)
What is too old???? the pyramids I suppose and at times I am, depending on my mood. 🙂
foggy
July 4, 2009 at 5:26 pm
of course age matters
and that is not all.what matters most is understanding certain changes age brings with it and trying to accommodate those changes in our everyday arrangements not just chucking those changes/differences out of the window without even try ing a little to see if anything can be done about it.
We,ageing people can be very finicky about certain things like diet, alternative therapy, the soaps we use, nap time and so on.yet we might be willing to give these up for instance lets say a short lived but welcome chance to have a cushy, sightseeing bus tour.
i have heard stories, that since it was agreed upon to have only that food which was arranged to be catered, by the touring authority;the peculiar and dietary food brought by one of the ageing tourists was thrown out!she did not have the provided food, and she did not mind it much.she was happy with the company of the other tourists, and the sightseeing she for long had yearned to do!
rockthabuilding
April 15, 2009 at 1:45 pm
the age old question of age.
Age decides everything, our whole social structure is based on which age category you fit into. You are either too young, young, old or too old. Age decides on whether we put up with something from a person or not for example how many elderly ladies would you let push in front of you at the supermarket checkout as apposed to 17 year olds? How often do you see old people get away with wearing canary yellow tracksuits or being rude to bus drivers? how often do you dismiss parents swearing at their kids but get all worked up about kids swearing at their parents? how many middle aged men are called creepy for talking to teenage girls? how many signs do you see at the doctors telling you about all the diseases to get tested for after you hit 50? who would you ask for street directions a 13 year old, a 30 year old or a 90 year old? It's undeniable that age matters and if you disagree let me tell you this (if you didn't already figure that one out from the biased article), I am sixteen, how seriously do you take me now?
The Chartist
May 19, 2009 at 4:46 am
re: the age old question of age.
Thanks to "rockthabuilding" for their post.
Just want to put in my two-cents worth here … about the voting age. I would love to see the age lowered to sixteen — with the caveat that elections (for all levels of government) be held annually; and that we continue with single-member electorates that use preferential voting to decide who will represent us.
Happy to enter into further discussion about these important reforms.
Regards, David from Perth, Western Australia
Annual General Elections will be the new world religion – of peace in diversity
Site Administrator
July 9, 2009 at 2:44 pm
The Age old Question of Age
This comment posted by jaykay05
Congratulations of speaking your mind.
You are right age speaks so loudly. How many times do you see crimes done by 12 and 13 year olds and they are ignored as there is too much hassle and paperwork. Comments like "they are just children" and yet a 17 year old does the same crime and faces adult charges. If the 12 and 13 year old are old enough to do the crime then they are old enough to do the time. Stop patting kids on the heads. Deal with them.
How many times I have seen an elderly person push in because they think it is their right to do so. How rude. They presume they have that right, and gain no respect from younger people. Or they drive a car and certainly do not have the ability anymore of being safe, but think it is their given right to use the roads still.
Everyone is equal as the human race goes. However teenagers should not be given as much freedom as they get. They are generally too immature to handle it and then gain the reputation of "out of control" youth.
Respect the elders, and the elders earn that respect to be respected.
Age is relevant. Make it appropriate for each stage and maturity level.
This comment posted by jaykay05
Site Administrator
July 16, 2009 at 3:40 am
socially if you are too
socially if you are too young you don’t know enough and have little experience in life, if you are too old, depending who calls old too old and what is old, then you are too old to understand and or even mingle or act certain ways. somehow though we have managed to push age backward like today’s 40 year old is considered 30, so would this mean that today’s 30 year old is 20 and 20 is 10??? Legally of course age is indicative of certain action and well hopefully it will matter specially when it comes to consumption of alcohol, tobacco, driving and marriage. Legal control in all that may not be as strong as we think they are, teenagers are still consuming alcohol and tobacco also driving illegally but at least we know this control lowers the percentage of havoc caused by those actions, especially at an age which these young people are more so delusional.
<a href="http://www.legalx.net"rel=DoFollow">Lawyer</a>
This comment posted by Michaelroger
Saoirse
August 9, 2009 at 5:57 pm
When i was 20 i wrote, and
When i was 20 i wrote, and had published, a letter to the editor in the SMH, decrying aged based wages. My point was that i felt i should be paid the same wage, regardless of my age, for doing the same job.
My attitude remains unchanged, however, 10 years later, and now an employer, i still pay my junior staff aged based wages.
Part of me sees the hypocrisy, the other part wants my junior staff to prove themselves before i reward them. Once they have proven their commitment to the task then i am happy to pay them in accordance with their efforts.
Thing is – age is not such a great differentiator of an employees worth (or a persons worth) – i thought it then and i think it now.
Problem for me is that at 27 when i first entered into business, many assumed i didnt have what it took – i like to think that i have proven them wrong, as many of my juniors will eventually do as well. But many of my juniors have also let me down – from the one who couldnt come to work because she didnt have any clean clothes, to the other who took 2 days off because her car battery was dead. Honestly sometimes i feel as if i have to be a parent to these kids as well as be their boss – which at the ripe old age of 30, i’m not fully equipped to do.
The problem as i see it is that we dont have children anymore – my neice is 6 and she’s already demonstrating tween tendancies – and its just really sad. We are given these lives to teach and mould, and somehow they are escaping our grasp – they are growing up way too quickly and there doesnt seem to be a hell of a lot we can do about it.
As a society, we should be able to do a lot, we should be able to stem the tide, but this will only happen if we all stand up together and declare that children should be children. I know that many of our teens and tweens have adult minds – but that’s not necessarily a good thing – we need to let them be kids, make the mistakes that kids are supposed to make and just let them have a childhood – as painful as it is – its what it has to be.
I dont think that we should lower the legal age for anything – i did think that in my not too distant past, but i dont now. I now think that we ask our kids to grow up too fast, and that even though they may think they have the answers, they dont – no more than you or i thought we had the answers when were were 18 or 16 – i’m not saying that they shouldnt be able to contribute to the democracy – just that they need to be allowed to develop their responses based on life experience and that they should be able to come to the realisation that wisdom comes only through experience – not saying i’m wise, just that i’m wise enough to know that i’ve still got alot to learn – something i couldnt possibly have hoped to realise in my teens…
grosh147
October 29, 2009 at 11:22 am
how old? or how mature?
the problem with lowering the legal age for anything is that all people mature mentally and personality wise, differently. some teenagers drink responsibly, while some adults, while drinking, turn into blithering idiots, until they pass out in a drunken stupor. and im talking adults, in their thirties, forties, fifties and beyond. the same as driving. there are a lot of drivers, who have had their license for 15 or 20 years, who speed and take risks, as though their trying to catch up to yesterday, while some young people with p plates are model drivers. so i suppose when you think about a legal age for something you would have to consider at the least, the highest minimum age most people would start having maturity. perhaps lowering the voting age would have the least damaging effect with immature decision making, but even this demands mature decision making for a healthy democracy
tombrown
February 3, 2010 at 12:12 pm
age matters
Age matters a lot.But dont old your mind.Your attitude will decide whether you are old or not.
bwendo
February 5, 2010 at 11:58 am
Childhood Credit – Mum’s on Tuckshop!
Discussing the Christmas Credit Hangover with my wife the other day and somehow we ended up reminiscing over the indulgent days when for that one special day each term your mother was the smiling customer service person behind the shoulder-high tuckshop counter, and you could shout your friends finger buns and sausage rolls with no worries about who was picking up the tab.
The bliss of childhood.
Old Enough for Credit – maybe not, but please consider those endlessly re-valuing their real estate for paper gains and margin loans.
Tuck Shop Mums really suffer when those No Income No Job Assessment (NINJA) start getting mortgages.
Chin Up,
Brendan
Hunter Valley Hampers