“Hey, Gran, do you remember your 18th birthday?” my oldest Grand asked. While eating breakfast at my kitchen table, Samuel and I talked about his upcoming 18th birthday.
I swallowed hard. Took a deep breath. I wanted to tell him that I remembered exactly how I had celebrated. Who I was with and what I did. How my life changed. I considered saying that my parents threw a big family party and I took a weekend trip with friends.
But instead, I told the told the truth. “No, I don’t. I know I was here in Cookeville because immediately after graduating from high school I started Tech that summer.”
“Really, you don’t remember? Being 18 is a pretty big deal,” Samuel said.
I looked at my Grand. He had let me learn to be a grandmother.
He grew from a babe I rocked to a toddler who hugged my knees, to a kid who asked to hear the same Choose Your Own Adventure book again and again so he could choose different adventures, to a teenager who wanted fried dill pickles for his birthday supper, to a basketball player who texted me the times of his games, to this young man who had asked for birthday money (to add to his) so he could buy a new speaker system for his red 1998 Ford pick-up truck.
That morning he was 17, a minor, as defined by state law. The night before he’d sat close to me and asked me to scratch his back while we watched his favorite NBA team, the Boston Celtics win over the Miami Heat. Next time I’d see Samuel, he’d be 18.
As we ate bacon and eggs, we talked about his registering to vote and voting in the next presidential election, and Husband reminded Samuel that it is mandatory for him to register for the Selective Service.
But I was surprised when I googled “What can an 18-year-old do?”
Eighteen-year-olds are eligible for jury duty and can sign any legal document. They can choose to legally change their names, file a lawsuit, and create a will.
Financially, people who are 18 can open a bank account, apply for credit cards, rent an apartment, and file for bankruptcy. They can buy fireworks, spray paint, a car, and cough suppressants, but not alcohol or tobacco. Tennessee state law sets 21 as the minimum-age for alcohol and tobacco.
It’s good that during a school year an 18-year-old can work fulltime to support new freedoms without parental consent: travel, skydive, bet on horse races, book a hotel room, and get married. And some jobs are available that aren’t to a minor: a cook, meat slicer, and taxi and truck drivers.
Because Tennessee recognizes 18 as the age of adulthood, 18-year-olds are free of curfew restrictions and can move out of their parents’ homes.
My Grand’s words have stuck with me: “Being 18 is a pretty big deal.” He’s right, but, as I told him, I’m not done grandmothering him. I’ll still scratch his back.
Filed under: Birthday | Tagged: 18, 18th birthday |
Susan Writes 
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