I had my 18th birthday on August 1st. I rejoiced in being an adult. I was no longer a minor and could now buy lottery tickets and sign my own documents — how fulfilling. I now realize 18 isn’t really worth a whole lot in America today.

Being 18 I get some benefits, but none of them really seem that noteworthy. I, for example, was most happy about my license not being provisional and me getting to drive my friends around (this time not illegally). You can get a tattoo, vote, join the military, and a bunch of other stuff that is irrelevant for most people upon their birthday. Sure there are the questionable people that get tattoos when they’re 18 that they may or may not completely hate in a few years, but for most kids, that is not the case.

This election is more interesting, but for someone like me, I feel like I’ve been given a chore. Having to have an opinion on the current American political climate is nothing less than exhausting. For whatever side you decide to support, you have to constantly defend yourself, even when you, yourself, aren’t certain of your vote. It’s an integral part of being in a democratic society, and frankly, we could do better. It’s made me nothing less than regretful to cast my ballot next November.

When you turn 18, you get a bunch of negative side effects, such as being tried as an adult and being treated like you suddenly have the ability to take care of yourself. That tattoo seems a lot less worthwhile when you’re weighing it against going to prison instead of juvenile hall. People get kicked out of their homes at 18. It’s really not glamorous, at all. Facing homelessness really seems a lot more threatening than buying a lottery ticket.

In all honesty, turning 18 has made me feel more vulnerable more than it has made me feel empowered. There are few rewards to the massive punishments and the trade-off just seems completely unequal. Or maybe I’m just another lazy millennial that never wants to grow up. Being a kid is the best -- I always just wished that I could’ve spent more time enjoying it. Turning 18 is a huge commitment we have no choice to agree to. How scary.