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“What does it mean to be an Adult?”
Presented by Tanya Long

When did you first feel like an adult? A recent CBC Radio program interviewed several people over a wide range of ages to find their answers to this question. The answer from a seven-year-old gave me a chuckle. He said, "I felt like an adult when I started making my own bed and helping with the dishes, because that's what adults do - they do chores."

Other answers included when I left my parents' home to live on my own; when I got my first paycheque or graduated from university; when I got married, had my first child. Then there are those of us who wonder if we'll ever achieve adulthood. 

What does it mean to be an adult? Adulthood can be defined as the age of majority (18 in Canada), the age at which one is eligible to vote or apply for military service. Biological adulthood is when one has achieved the capacity to reproduce. Is adulthood the point at which one is financially independent, makes independent decisions and carries out the necessary mundane tasks of life (pay bills on time, feed oneself, balance the chequebook). 

1. How do you define adulthood?

2. Was there some point at which you felt you were an adult?

3. Is it taking longer for people to achieve adulthood?

4. If yes then what contributes to this delay - over-involved parents? social conditions that make it harder to find a decent-paying job, buy a home, start a family?

5. Is it even important to reach this point in life where you can say you're an adult?

Join us with your thoughts and questions.