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In August I turned 18, which makes me in American society a legal adult. I now have the ability to sign contracts, rent an apartment and legal access to all manner of adult materials, except for alcohol.

Being 18 signifies many things to older adults and youth of America.

Teenagers being naturally rebellious may look forward to their 18th birthday to be able to tell their parents off.

What an amazing day that would be, to tell the two people who have been driving you bat-house for 17 years that they can't control you anymore --I was one of them.

There's a part of it that seems a little brash to me. Why would a government or parents give a kid whose been told what to do for that long, the responsibilities and huge expectation of being a full-fledged adult?

When I look back, 18 sounded wonderful.

Freedom, control of my own life -- a turning point.

In my mind I was frolicking about like Julie Andrews in "The Sound of Music" high above the mountain tops.

In my parents' mind different ideas about what was going to happen were playing more like "Zack's Excellent Adventure and Spectacular Fall."

This summer, while I was giddy in anticipation, my Mom was reading my mind.

She was worried the deadly combination of hormones, testosterone, "senioritis," and an impending sense of dubious freedoms would lead to a downfall of quality in my school work and home life.

In order to stave off what she was sure was impending doom we decided to extend the family tradition of contracts to cover me being an adult/student at home.

Separately we sat down to think about what we could or could not live with and then after consulting with a third party, came together to draft a contract of what would happen while I live at home and the consequences of straying from the path.

Curfews, laundry, chores (jobs to earn money), grade point average, church attendance, sports, phone bills, my truck usage, insurance, banking, off-campus privileges -- you get the picture -- were put there.

It took a month and that third party to make a working and reasonable contract.

So, my life is good. I do not get nagged and she doesn't have to clean up after me, and anytime I feel the need to spread my wings I can go without it being about rebellion, but rather, my own choice.

One I know I can not afford at the moment, but dream about everyday.

OK, so I am settled but a real problem with being 18 years old is what if a kid's parents are not like mine?

Along with the good aspects there will most certainly the be bad.

Being 18 includes your parents ability to kick you out, being charged as an adult, go to adult prison, pay taxes and fending for yourself.

Why does the government give us the ability to be our own guardians when the majority of us can't handle living at our own house?

Most of us sleep, eat, study, and have fun in our homes with our families, some have jobs.

I know dozens of kids that would die on the streets if they were left to fend for themselves.

For example, I know a guy who is 18 years old and barely can tie his own shoes because his parents handle all of his issues for him.

I don't believe it is the government's fault or responsibility for giving emancipation to 18-year-olds who are not ready for it. It's the neglect of parents handing down critical information or neglecting them in the guise of making things easy or worse -- kids who have great parents but choose bad things anyway.

I'm extremely lucky to have the parents I do, because I could have been booted out on to the street like a bag of moldy tangerines.

Teenagers should look ahead and talk to their parents about these things before the time comes around the corner hitting them square in the face.

It is your life take control of; if you want to be treated like an adult, act like one.

If everybody took a few minutes to think, there would probably be fewer clueless teenagers and more informed young adults in the world today.

This article is the opinion of Zack Misner. Misner is a senior at Kenai Central High School.