Coming of age at 21, or be careful! Child protection!
On the same route from Niagara to Boston, one instructive adventure happened to us, let’s call it that because it ended positively for us, but it could have been different.
Having decided to take a break from the road, we pulled up at a huge American gas station, and in America some gas stations are more like a shopping center. We quickly dispersed according to our interests among the numerous regiments. In addition to the picture, I would like to say that our children, if we can really call them children of people 16, 14 and 12 years old, are used to moving around the city on their own and feel quite independent.
So, the sons bought a lottery ticket from a machine for a dollar, received the dollar they won at the checkout and bought the ticket again. When they approached the cash register to check the second ticket for winning, the gas station manager was already standing behind the counter with a «brick» face… the sale of a lottery ticket for $1 was instantly equated to gambling, and it was prohibited to minors as strictly as the sale of cigarettes and alcohol. I agree, they were wrong, they relaxed on vacation… but it was clear from the lady’s face that she was a second away from calling the police to deal with us — negligent parents. However, realizing that we were tourists, the gas station employees apparently decided not to bother with us, which we took advantage of, leaving unpaid coffee and the rest of the chosen items upon exiting. I didn’t want to buy anything in this place anymore 🙂
By the way, when I, an adult, demanded that the paid lottery ticket be returned to us, we received a categorical refusal. And this is precisely what led us to doubt the righteousness of the thoughts of the gas station attendants. We never found out whether our second ticket won ? how much? perhaps it was all a performance staged for tourists. And our family still tells «myths and legends» about won and selfishly taken TREASURES.
State Child Welfare Rules
But jokes are jokes. Before traveling with children, I recommend checking the rules of the states in which you are traveling on this issue.
For example, there are states where a child cannot be left alone even in his own home without adult supervision, not to mention a hotel room. Or you shouldn’t let go of a child’s hand in a public place… or leave one in the car for not even long… or… many more things can come to the feverish minds of «defenders» children.
Coming of age in the USA
As for the age of majority, the age of reaching it also differs in different states, there are states where adulthood occurs at 18 and 19 years old, and in the state of New York and the state of Mississippi as much as 21 years old.
This explains the strict rule with children being transported to school, either by a school bus, or by the parents themselves in a private car, with no other options. In any case, as I wrote before, there is no public transport in the USA.
But in many cases you can get a driving license from the age of 14, and from the age of 16 with restrictions, and from the age of 18 without any restrictions.
