independence

[ponteeee]

LOL

Damn, I wish I was a student...

[heidi_1176]

1) I'm a bloke, Topshop/ Dorothy Perkins have no relevance - besides, I am living in the same clothes I was wearing 3 or 4 years ago

2) I think I have to pay for the dentist actually Not a major expense anyway.

3) Taxes Woohoo. I actually got charged tax over the summer, but the darlings at the inland revenue are paying it back. No council tax is fantastic, I agree (what the hell is that tax for anyway)

4) I never take advantage of cheap beer. I tend to buy decent stuff on offer and then stock up on it (try Golden Glory, the stuff is awesome)

5) I have never used my overdraft

[Gambit]

TopMan then

If you are a Welsh student living in England, you may not have to pay. We don't pay here till your over 25.

Council tax is a pain, but covers things like binmen, street lights etc. The worst rip off is income tax

[HighNimbus]

Well there are some people who have no choice but to grow up fast ie, when a parent has been told they have a serious illness which can take their life, there are some kids have no choice but to be a grown up if the parents have split up. It's really hard for these ones as they don't see a childhood they deserve and it takes a lot of courage as well as they have to cope with everything which isn't right.
There are others who have major problems at home who have to live double lives in the house and outside as they are going through hell while they are there. It can be a basis of arguments with either parent, abuse of any sort or any question of things which can cause a breakdown of comunication within a family. It all starts with the same thing you learn to grow up fast and you start to plan your escape even though you might only be a child. I'm not saying that this happens in every case but it's out there and there are so many kids trying to handle so much on their own.
I grew up very fast when I was just at school as I had no choice in the matter as there was a lot of illness in the family and other stuff happening so it was upto us to be the parents and it's hard not to be. My mum had my brother who ended having Meningitus so it was upto us to look after him. I am very protective with him as he'll never be able to do very much for himself as he ended up with brain damage and other stuff connected with the family as well with the genetic illnesses we all have. So for some of the folk around. life isn't a bed of roses, thing is it makes them a lot stronger willed lol. In some cases it can be a good thing to have but in others it can be a pain as well .

lisa xx

[YoungShyCareerGirl]

The only thing that you have to remember in life is that growing old is compulsory, growing up isnt!

[oolp_4_lifeoo]

Well I'm still not independent - I'm 22 and still live with my mom. I lived on my own for about a year when I was 18. My folks kicked me out the day after my birthday because I was engaged in some behavior that they did not condone and would not support. I'm mostly independant in the fact that I've got enough money to support myself, and I have an education and a good job.

I'd say that I became RESPONSIBLE when I was about 18 or 19 (less than a year after I was kicked out) and realized that my actions at the time would have drastic impact on the rest of my life. That was about the time I started focusing on my education and taking my classes and grades very seriously, and I kicked some habits that were detrimental to my health, and stopped sleeping around with promiscuous girls and all that nonsense. Anyways those were good choices and I've come a long way since then.

[gwilsonh1973]

Whoa. I don't think I could do that.

[therook]

Good points. I think there is more to 'independance' than not living with your parents! It's more of a state of mind.

Some people simply transfer their dependance on their parents to dependance on a husband/wife/partner. And dependance can work on so many levels. On an emotional level it is even possible to be dependant upon your own children.

[strawberrygirl]

One of my best mates is 27 and he still lives with his parents. It does have it's advantages, believe me...

[RkЯ™]

I can't imagine too many.