There aren’t many people who do not look forward to their 21st Birthday. Though many look forward to being able to walk into a bar to buy a beer, there are many other reasons why people look forward to the day they are 21. The day I turned 21 turned out to be rather anticlimactic because I didn’t wait to try my first drink until that day. Looking back I wish I had, but that has little to do with the birthday celebration. I wish I had waited to do a lot of things, and that was just one of the many.
I’ve never been big on bars, and I don’t drink any longer. Back then though, I was a heavy drinker, and when it came time for my 21st birthday, there really wasn’t much difference in my life. Though I was then able to go to a bar to drink, it wasn’t that big of a deal for me. There are many who will celebrate their 21st birthday by going bar hopping, but I was not one of them. I spent the day with my boyfriend and we then went to a party at someone’s house for the night. I didn’t even think about going to a bar.
Some look forward to their 21st birthday because the age represents freedom to many. Though the age of 18 is the legal adult age, there are many who don’t feel totally free from parental control until they hit the 21st birthday. This is probably because they have been in college, and while you are in college, you still rely on your parents to some degree. Even if they don’t go to college, the first few years out of the house are still very hard, and this means that they still have to ask for help on occasion. Usually by the time they are 21 they have things more under control.
The 21st birthday can also mean any other number of things. It might be the date when you can drive at all hours of the day, or it might mean you are seen as more responsible by the world in general. Most people feel grown up when they get to their 21st birthday, even though we all know there is a lot more growing up to do. Some many even think of it as the last ‘fun’ birthday, because all of the milestones of growing up seem to be far behind them. I have a friend who is turning 35 today, and I’m pretty sure he’ll be thinking of what it was like to turn 21, and of all of the things he has accomplished since then.
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