I cannot make an accurate guess on how many times a week my daughter asks me when she will be old enough to do this, that, or the other; but it is a question that comes up often. All I know is that she is growing up too fast and apparently wants to speed up the process. But I'm not letting her. I would like my kid to stay a kid as long as she can, keeping in line with what is age appropriate. And this is especially challenging when I say, "No you are too young," to whatever request she may toss at me, and she answers, "But so-and-so has one," or "Why not?"
So I asked my opinionated—and very eager—7-year-old about different milestones and what she thought would be the right age for each. The answers were surprising, and I'll be keeping this list to remind her every time she asks me for an iPhone in the next 11 years.
Getting Ears Pierced
Age = 10
"I would say age 10 because you have to be responsible, and to take care of the holes in your ears and keep them clean so they don't get infected or something like that. Plus, you don't want to lose your earring. Babies who have their ears pierced, that's just weird. They probably screamed a whole bunch when they got it done."
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Getting a Cell Phone
Age = 18
"You should be 18 because then you'll be old enough to not drop it all the time. And there are some things on the iPhones that are kinda hard to read so you have to be older to know what it's saying. Kids or, like, tweens getting cell phones is too early. And teens, they spend most of the time just texting their friends. So they really don't need a cell phone until they are 18."
Wearing High Heels
Age = 9 or 10
"But just for parties or special events, not for, like, every day. Wearing heels every day would just be weird. Like you shouldn't ever wear high heels to school."
Wearing Makeup
Age = 10 or 11
"You should be able to wear all kinds of makeup, except for face cream, because that is for when you are old and need it. But you shouldn't wear, like, bright red lipstick to school; but I think a 10-year-old should be able to wear mascara, eye shadow, lipstick and that cheek stuff but NOT face cream."
"You just shouldn't date before you are 18."
Dating
Age = 18 or 19
"I don't know why I think that age; it just seems like a good mature age. You just shouldn't date before you are 18."
Getting Married
Age = 20 and up
"You need to be older than 20, and you should only get married after you are done with college. I think when you're in the middle of your 20s would be a good age to get married."
When to Have a Baby
Age = 30 and up
"You should only have a baby when you are over 30. Otherwise you might not be ready. You want to be mature enough. To not be ready is like really, really bad. You might be too goofy, or not nice enough yet, or not mature enough."
Get a Laptop
Age = 10 or over
"But you should only go to good websites not bad websites, because there are bad websites out there. And if you are under 10 you might not know you are on a bad website. If you are like 10, 11 or 12, then you can tell which is which. Plus laptops are heavy, so you have to be old enough to carry it."
When to Move out of the House
Age = 18
"When you go to college. Like my cousin, she moved out of her mom and dad's house when she went to college. Not like in Monsters University when the one guy still lives with his mom while in college. That isn't right. You have to move out."
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To Vote
Age = 18
"That's basically the law. That's when you are old enough. And I'm just going to go with the law because it's the law. And I don't want to break the law because that would be bad."
Drive a Car
Age = 18
"I think you should only drive a car after you've had your license for two years. So you get your license, practice every now and then but you should only be able to actually drive around two years after you get your license."
To Drink
Age = 30
"Because it smells like it doesn't taste good and it's not good for your either."
To Drink Coffee
Age = 18
"You shouldn't drink coffee before you are 18 because it tastes really icky and it's not good to drink when you are a kid."
