My oldest son’s 18th birthday was quickly approaching and he kept talking about all of the “perks” of being an adult: voting, unrestricted driving, buying lottery tickets.
I, on the other hand, started to obsess about the perils: arrests, dangerous sports, permanent scarring (aka tattoos).
He and I discussed the five points – well, I talked and he half-listened because he is 18-years-old and he thinks he is invincible. Then the night he turned 18 I presented him with $20.00 for lottery tickets and the following list:
18 Things You Can Do Now That You Are 18
(But that doesn’t mean that you should)
- Buy A Lottery Ticket
- Vote
- Get a Tattoo or Body Piercing
- Serve on a Jury
- Sky Dive or Bungee Jump
- Change Your Name
- Donate Blood
- Buy a Car
- Rent an Apartment
- Enlist in the Military
- Buy Cigarettes
- Drive All Night
- File a Law Suit or Sue Someone
- Get a Job Serving Alcohol
- Move out of Your Parents’ House
- Sign a Legally Binding Contract
- Work Full-Time
- Be Tried and Convicted as an Adult
I saved the best for last.
i suck as a parent 
Posted by Grown and Flown on March 13, 2014 at 5:47 pm
Yes, 18, a milestone birthday in all the ways you list. I agree with your () title – not that he should! Happy birthday to you both.
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Posted by I suck as a parent on March 15, 2014 at 3:25 pm
Thanks! I hope he didn’t view it as a bucket list – he tacked the list to his wall
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Posted by Kyle on March 14, 2014 at 2:24 am
Number 18 is so important!
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Posted by Christina Jones on March 14, 2014 at 2:51 am
You DID save the best for last. Excellent list … every 18 year old should get it!
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Posted by nancy on March 16, 2014 at 10:25 pm
As you know, we endured the skydiving incident. On his birthday, no less. (3 years before the broken neck incident)
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Posted by I suck as a parent on March 16, 2014 at 10:39 pm
Nancy- I forgot about the skydiving incident! As I said to Grown and Flown I hope he sees the list in the light in which I intended and not as a challenge
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Posted by Main Street Musings Blog on March 18, 2014 at 6:25 pm
Isn’t it funny how they can do all those things yet when they come home for college visits they still can’t seem to do their own laundry?
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