was it just a normal day, or did you do something out of spite you could not do before? or not out of spite, but out of age….?
When you just turn 18 (or 21), did you do anything special or remarkable?
r/AskWomen
was it just a normal day, or did you do something out of spite you could not do before? or not out of spite, but out of age….?
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My big event actually happened on my 19th birthday.
When my biological parents died in a car accident (I was 13), they left a really solid trust fund to me and my older sister. The rule was that when we were still underage, it could only be used for educational or health expenses. Then once we graduated high school, we would each take ownership of our fund on our next birthday. This fund was administered by a lawyer friend of the bio parents.
Turns out we were placed with a Mormon foster family who were emotionally abusive — during the time we lived with them, they gaslit us into the idea that once we came of age, we would sign over our funds to them in “gratitude” for the work they’d done in raising us.
My sister ended up having a meltdown at 17 and had to be removed to a group home that could serve her needs better. That left me at 15 as the only fundholder in the household, so they doubled down on me.
I spent my high school years playing the responsible sister. I went heads down in my studies and ended up graduating Salutatorian in my high school class.
That’s when I made a plan. During my time with the fosters and their church I never actually became a believer, I just pretended so that home life could be peaceful. About a week later I went in solo to the lawyer’s office, and confirmed there was no requirement for me to hand the fund over to anybody. It was 100% mine to do with as I wanted.
My 19th birthday “signing day” came in July. We all went into the lawyer’s office to do all the paperwork. The lawyer (bless him) had foresight enough to hire an off-duty police officer to provide security when I told the fosters I wasn’t signing over anything to them. They were escorted out of the office. And then the officer escorted me back to their house later so I could pack up my stuff and move out to a safe house I’d arranged.
I used the money to fund myself through college – Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree. In the last couple of years I landed my dream job and a phenomenal fiancé. We’re getting married in two weeks and I couldn’t be happier!
No, I didn’t do anything special. I wasn’t interested in drinking. I had a normal birthday party of some kind. I was up to my eyeballs in college at 21 or high school graduation at 18. I just had other things going on. I made up for it later in my 20’s lol. I took my brother out for shots when he turned 21 though. Do what makes you happy.
At 18, I had two kids and 3 at 21, so I didn’t do anything. I probably wouldn’t have anyway, I never got the hype around birthdays.
I didn’t do anything special. Couldn’t drive yet, had already been legally drinking and partying for two years and illegally for longer so there wasn’t really anything else I was allowed to do now that I could easily do or wanted to do.
My mom bought me a cheesecake and I ate the entire thing that day.
I regret nothing.
A few minutes after midnight on my 18th birthday I went to 7-11 and bought a pack of cigarettes.
The only things I remember about my 21st are 7 shots of liquor and later yelling at my roommate to kick out his underage friends. But apparently I’m really good at beer pong.
I turned 18 during Covid so we went to my aunts house and celebrated with close family. When I turned 21 I had recently moved to a new area and didn’t really have any friends there so I mostly just hung out with my bf all day.
i went to italy for my 18th
It felt so normal that it actually made me upset. I turned 18 while living in the U.S. — and since I’m from Turkey, 18 is a big deal for us, like 21 in the States. But in the U.S., it wasn’t considered a special age. Then I turned 21 while I was living in Turkey, where 21 doesn’t mean much. So neither of those milestone birthdays got the celebration they deserved!