Who Can Our Children Turn To?

There are currently two schools of thought about the transition to adulthood. There is a group who believe a person has reached adulthood at age 18 and if the parents continue to assist them, they are coddling them. The other group believes that to assist their children after this age is helping them prepare for adulthood by providing them a secure base to explore their options and reach their optimum potential.

I happen to be of the latter belief. I have a 20 year old son and 18 year old twins, a son and a daughter. I have first-hand knowledge that these children are not ready for the financial or emotional demands of adulthood. Personally, I believe we live in a different society where the opportunities of the past are long gone. A high school graduate can no longer be assured of a full time job with a salary and benefits to sustain a family. Quite the opposite.  As of May 2011, 8.6% of Ohioans are unemployed; that's just slightly under 1 million people searching for work!

My oldest son is enrolled in a local college. I am grateful that, as a single mom, I can offer him the opportunity to attend college while I provide food, shelter, and security.  He is financing his own education since I am doing the best I can to provide the basic necessities on my own. My intention is to do the same for my other two children. I am a firm believer in gaining skills for the future, either by attending college or a trade school.

In my research of the states that already have the age of emancipation at either 21 or 23, I have to say the letter from Garry Kemp, Administrator of the Department of Child Support for the State of Hawaii, was the most poignant. In his letter he explains his belief as to the reason Hawaii has had the age of emancipation at age 23 for over 50 years. He states: " Legislation in Hawaii has been beneficial to the poor for many years and there is a strong emphasis on protecting children."

I have often gone over that sentence of the letter wondering why the State of Ohio doesn't seem to feel the same way about it's children.

A Journey of 1000 Miles...or so it seemed

I think it is prudent to explain how I became interested in children being considered adults at the age of 18 so you can understand the significance of this age. I will summarize the journey otherwise it would be too long for a blog; it would be more suited to be a literary short story. My story began in 2004 when I became a single parent of three children. I realized that it was going to be financially difficult to support my children, without the assistance of their father, after the age of 18 and that he would have a choice to either continue, or not continue, financial support. 

I contacted my representative in 2005 and proposed that the age of emancipation be changed to age 23. The proposal included a section that stated if the child is employed full time before reaching that age, child support would cease. It seemed fair to both parents but most of all, fair to the child. Never knowing exactly how a bill becomes law, and honestly, I'm still a bit confused, I didn't realize the effort this simple request would take.

He wrote the proposal in 2005 for the 126th General Assembly. The proposal was not made into a bill since the representative was in his last year of office and didn't have the opportunity to propose the legislation. I had then met Josh Mandel, outside my voting poll, and asked him if he agreed with my thoughts about raising the age of emancipation in the State of Ohio. He said that if elected, he would be interested in looking into it further. Josh Mandel was elected to represent my district so I contacted his office to see if he would sponsor the proposal. Many, many hours went into discussing the proposal, with his wonderful aides and many hours were spent researching other state's legislation who already had the age of emancipation at age 21 or 23. A friend and I even drove to Columbus, to the State House, to personally meet the aides and discuss the substance of the proposal. Unfortunately, Josh was asked to return to active duty in the military and so the proposal sat for years unattended. Upon returning, he was unable to bring the proposal to the floor because the House was controlled by the Democrats and he is a Republican.

Wow, what an eye-opener that bit of information was. I was astounded that a proposal to assist the children of the state was being held-up because of politics!

Fast-forward six years, from the start of this journey, to 2011 and Marlene Anielski is now my representative. Of course, I have already personally met with her and have provided a vast amount of material on the subject in hopes that she will sponsor the proposal.

My journey is far from over; it is just beginning a new chapter to help the children of the great State of Ohio.

Reaching Adulthood in the 21st Century

Adulthood.  Every teenager dreams of the day he/she turns 18 and will now be considered an adult by society. But what does that really mean for them? Our children are growing up in a world where reaching the "American Dream" is much more difficult, if not impossible, and they certainly are not reaching the goals of financial independence, home ownership, and a family of their own in the same time frame as their parents. Sociologists and psychologists have begun studying the reasons why children are not reaching these typical markers of adulthood in the same time frame. Dr. Jeffrey Arnett coined the term,  "emerging adults,"  to describe the time period from the late teens to mid-twenties when our young people are searching to find their way to adulthood through the many opportunities offered to that age group. Many of these emerging adults are depending on their parents for both emotional and financial assistance until they can truly be independent. I'm sure you've already realized the difficulty our emerging adults are facing trying to reach financial independence in today's world.