The Decision to Leave Parents Home - Essay Example

In reaching the legal age of eighteen when a teen can choose to move out of his or her parents’ house or to continue living with our parents, a teen must carefully consider and weigh matters in favor of living on our own in contrast to staying with our parents. We must also look into the disadvantages of living on our own as compared to staying with our parents. These concerns do not only involve financial matters but also includes a lot of emotional issues for a teen. Deciding on our next move upon turning eighteen entails meticulous planning since the decision we make today will affect our lives as well as our country. Generally, the advantage of living independently is that you learn how to manage your expenses, prepare your own food, manage your time to do household chores, be responsible in paying the bills on time, and to keep a job to sustain your daily needs. On the other hand, the disadvantages of living apart from your parents would sometimes prompt you to get a job and forget about going to college; this happens at times since teens cannot support their own studies unless they get help from their parents. Another disadvantages of moving out of your parents’ house is to maintain the security of your place; this means that you must always be cautious at all times for your security since you are not familiar with the neighborhood and the nature of the people in the community. Another inconvenience in living on your own is the time management; you must expect to have less time for studying and your social life since the household chores would take up some of your time unlike when you are in your parents’ house where your mother or your housekeeper usually performs these tasks for you. The first matter to consider before making that big decision is how to sustain our daily necessities. To do this, we need to find a good paying job that can cover the expenses for the rent, food, clothing, transportation, water bills, and electricity bills. Search for jobs in newspapers and online job portals. If you are lucky enough to find a good job, you must be ready to present the required documents for your job application. Some requirements for a job application includes: a copy of your birth certificate; your Social Security Card; your Driver’s License; a copy of your Diploma, your GED or certificates you have received from trainings you have attended (Surviving the Transition). Other requirements include your resume that contains information about your education and your work experiences; a well-composed application letter; a Letter of Introduction; Recommendation Letters from your teachers or your past employers; and some of your work samples (Surviving the Transition). The benefits of having your own job while living on your own comprise of helping your parents in expenses for the house; having your own spending money; financing for your education; and financial source for your plans of living on your own. On the contrary, having a job while living on your own may also cause some problems not like when you live with your parents’ house where some of the expenses are taken care of by your parents. Some of these problems are the deficiency of your income for paying your bills and your rent; if your job does not pay well, then you may not have enough money to support your own education; and you may not have enough money left for leisure spending. The next concern to think about is a place to stay in. It would be best to consult your parents or an adult on how to choose the right place for you to live in. In choosing your place, decide whether you need a big place; the proximity to your college and workplace; the accessibility of the place to stores, hospitals, and other essential establishments and services that you may need in the future; the rental cost; and most importantly the safety of the neighborhood (Apartment Safety). The pros of having your own place consist of learning to analyze and abide by the laws governing the contract for the place you will be renting; organizing your own place; and being a responsible neighbor by observing laws in the community. This last concern must be always observed especially by refraining from making too much noise that may bother your neighbors since you can be apprehended by the law if complaints against you will be filed by your neighbors (When You Become 18). In contrast, the negative sides of having your own place are mainly security issues such as the nature of your neighbors and street safety. Before moving in your new place, you must also consider going about your place, your school or your place of work. Choose if you need to get a car or you will settle on public transport. Keep in mind that if you get your own car you also need to get insurance and apply for your driver’s license (When You Become 18) while settling on public transport may be a cause of delay on your appointments or work. Aside from getting insurance for your car, you must also get insurance for your rented house or apartment and a health care insurance (Insurance Resource). Living by yourself would require you to take care of your own insurance plans, which is much different if you choose to stay with your parents since they can get one of these necessary insurance plans for you. When you decide to live on your own, your other responsibilities includes exercising your right to vote; abiding by the laws of the state regarding driving, use of alcohol, and smoking; and guns (When You Become 18). In being a responsible driver, you must always observe road rules; avoid over speeding; and refrain from drinking if you will be driving later on. Relatively, in some states, you are not allowed to purchase or drink alcoholic drinks; if you are legally allowed to have alcoholic drinks, then you must limit your consumption; and you must remember that you are not allowed to have alcohol in your car (When You Become 18). Smoking for eighteen-year olds is legal but the law (When You Become 18) prohibits selling tobacco to eighteen-year olds. Turning 18 also gives you the privilege to own a gun but owning a gun has corresponding responsibilities. Gaining these legal privileges gives you the freedom to choose between using your privilege responsibly and abusing these privileges given by the law. Living on your own makes the seriousness of these responsibilities weightier since you are no longer under the responsibility of your parents and you are solely answerable to any act you will do. Other responsibilities that may seem negligible are daily food preparations; household chores such as doing the laundry and cleaning the house; and making sure to pay the bills on time. They may appear like tiny tasks but when you start living on your own, the exhaustion from work and school activities would take its toll on your body. Worrying on what to cook everyday, washing your dirty laundry and getting your place neat would be tedious tasks and additional expenses for other people to do these chores is not your best option. Paying the bills consume a large portion of your expenses and would not make room for extra expenses such as fees for housekeepers and laundry services. The household tasks that you tend to ignore when you were still in your parents’ house would make you think twice on leaving your parents’ house. Balancing your job, your schoolwork, your social life, and these household tasks would need good time management skills on your part. After discussing pros and cons of the financial and legal aspects involved when you decide to leave your parents’ home and live independent from their care, another vital point to ponder on is the emotional aspect of being away from your parents. It is important to be emotionally ready to face the challenges of life on your own especially when you will decide to live in a different state from your parents. Some emotional issues you need to face are your attachment to your memories in your parents’ house, instances that may compel you to move back in your parents’ house (Leaving Home) and the emotional strains of financial obligations. Emotional advantages of moving out of your parents’ house are the chance to solve problems by yourself; prepare yourself to decide for yourself that can also help you get ready for building your own family in the future; and you will learn how to adjust around different types of personalities developing your intrapersonal skills. Some of the emotional disadvantages of living on your own may be anxiousness on your safety; feelings of loneliness at first; and worries of financial instability. All of these concerns from financial sources to emotional stability must be considered before making your pivotal decision. Analyzing the pros and cons of each matter would help you determine if you are ready to move out from your parents’ house. The crucial points to decide on are your emotional readiness, your social, financial, and moral responsibilities. Reaching the legal age does not mean that you will only enjoy the privileges; it also means that in enjoying these privileges you accept the responsibilities that comes along with the privileges. Turning eighteen does not force you to move out immediately, instead it gives you a choice of staying a little more longer and wait for the right time that you are financially and emotionally capable to live on your own or move out and learn the basics of being financially and emotionally independent through experiencing life first hand. CITED WORKS Apartment Safety. Ellensburg High School. 25 May 2009 . Insurance Resource Page for Texas Teens and Young Adults. Updated 8 April 2009. Texas Department of Insurance. 26 May 2009 . “Leaving Home.” Teacher Activities. Washington State Office of the Attorney General. 26 May 2009 . “Surviving the Transition to Adulthood A Field Guide for Families and Teens.” Delaware Children’s Department. Revised July 2008. Division of Child Mental Health Services. 25 May 2009 . “When You Become 18 A Survival Guide for Teenagers.” Consumer Education. Revised 2008. California Bar Foundation. 26 May 2009 . Read More