You dated yourself trisham. Back in our day, it was pretty much a given that when you turned 18, you were an adult, and ready to take on being an adult.
I got along great with my mom and stepdad, and a scholarship afforded me the opportunity to go away to college. From that point on, 4 days at home was enough, I was always ready to return to school and my independent life.
Within months after graduation, I was a platoon leader in Germany, responsible for 20 men before I turned 23. At 25, I was the supply officer for a 600 man air defense artillery battalion.
My sister also moved out of the house after she graduated from high school. Our stepdad helped her settle into her own apartment, and she took on a clerical job, she never planned on going to college.
On my 18th birthday, my stepfather told me I could get a beer anytime I wanted, though the drinking age was 21. He grew up during the Depression, served in WWII. I never did that with my kids, different time, and they weren't ready for that (and Mom never broached the idea).
I hear you. Those really were the “good old days”. :)
You sound a few years younger than I am by the info about the drinking age. Most of the kids I knew moved out at 18 when they went to college. The others stayed home for a few extra years saving some money while working. I’d say the rest moved out around
Although the drinking age is now 21. I allowed my son to have a drink at family gatherings when he was younger than 21. First, it’s legal for a kid to drink at home while the parent is home supervising. Next, I found it important for him to know how to drink in a social manner before he did away from me. Most kids just go off with friends when first drinking and act idiotically. Because his first experiences were never in an environment of sneaking off and being rebellious- he doesn’t act like an idiot when he drinks. This was never about being a ‘cool mom’, but another lever of teaching on a social level.