# I'm 19 and the thought of turning 20 scares me. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 28, 2018, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637 "2018-01-28T05:04:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BloodStalk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee59a6/32.png) [@BloodStalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BloodStalk)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637/1 "2018-01-28T05:04:54Z")
I’m currently 19 years old and honestly, the thought of being 20 is kind of making me feel anxious. I mean then, I won’t be a teenager anymore and as a result, I feel like my youth is kind of over and I won’t be able to have certain privileges of being associated with youth. I’m not opposed to responsibilities or anything like that, it’s just the feeling of not being considered a teen or young.I can’t stop worrying about turning 20 and I fear as it gets closer, I will start counting the days and won’t be able to enjoy being a teen. How can I deal with this? Honestly, I still feel like a teen, even if I turn 20. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637/2 "2018-01-28T05:06:29Z")
Seriously? How can you deal with it? Grow up. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637/3 "2018-01-28T05:10:48Z")
(sorry, couldn’t resist). But I am serious. You don’t really have a choice other than growing up, unless you’re able to fly second to the right and straight on till morning. (Or unless you find grimmer options). So you can fight it, rage against the dying of the adolescent light. Or you can go with it, since it’s gonna happen anyway. Personally my teenage years suhuhucked, and I find it incomprehensible that anyone would want to prolong them; YMMV, of course. You’ll be 20 soon. Soon enough, your prime-numbered years will be fewer and fewer. Take the years as they come, and learn what you can from them. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637/4 "2018-01-28T05:42:17Z")
I never went through anything like this at the time, but in retrospect I DID peak at 19. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637/5 "2018-01-28T05:58:05Z")
♬ _And you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it’s sinking Racing around to come up behind you again The sun is the same in a relative way, but you’re older Shorter of breath and one day closer to death_ ♬ Welcome to your first existential crisis. I remember when I turned 20 My best buds were six months, and a year, younger than I. (They still are.) One of them said, ‘Just think, Johnny. You’ll never be a teenager again!’ Bastard. But it could be worse. You could be turning 40 or 50 or 60 or 70… (Which still beats the alternative.) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637/6 "2018-01-28T05:59:20Z")
Meh, turning 20 didn’t bother me. It meant one year closer to being able to go into a bar and buy a beer. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637/7 "2018-01-28T06:00:30Z")
Huh? You’re not going to be a different person just because the clock ticked over. When you’re 40 you’re going to be embarrassed that you worried about such things. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637/8 "2018-01-28T06:06:32Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > You’re not going to be a different person just because the clock ticked over. Ha! Are we still telling them that? Ahahahahahahahaha! ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637/9 "2018-01-28T06:10:11Z")
Move away someplace else, where no-one knows you. Tell everyone you are 19. Do this again, and maybe again, until it becomes impossible to maintain that you are a teen. By then you may be able to cope with being 20. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637/10 "2018-01-28T06:18:00Z")
I am sure that we have all read “Catcher in the Rye.” ---
**Author:** ![mr\_horsepower](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@mr\_horsepower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr_horsepower)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637/11 "2018-01-28T06:20:53Z")
> [@BloodStalk](#): > > I’m currently 19 years old and honestly, the thought of being 20 is kind of making me feel anxious. I mean then, I won’t be a teenager anymore and as a result, I feel like my youth is kind of over and I won’t be able to have certain privileges of being associated with youth. I’m not opposed to responsibilities or anything like that, it’s just the feeling of not being considered a teen or young.I can’t stop worrying about turning 20 and I fear as it gets closer, I will start counting the days and won’t be able to enjoy being a teen. How can I deal with this? Honestly, I still feel like a teen, even if I turn 20. you and your brother are pretty close. how does he feel about getting older? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637/12 "2018-01-28T06:38:59Z")
Your teen years are not your best years. Make the most of your 20s. They will be the ones you treasure or regret. The good news is that you can think of your 20s as lasting until you’re 35 if you like. That’s twice as long as teen years. After 35 things start to go a bit wackadoo. Responsibilities come home to roost. Aches and pains. Grey hair. But you can still pretend they aren’t a big deal for a little while, before your 40s finally cause you to take stock and be realistic. But that’s a long way off for a 20 yr old, so don’t worry yourself. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637/13 "2018-01-28T06:45:17Z")
It’s all downhill from here. ---
**Author:** ![BobBitchin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@BobBitchin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobBitchin)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637/14 "2018-01-28T06:51:05Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > Huh? > > You’re not going to be a different person just because the clock ticked over. > When you’re 40 you’re going to be embarrassed that you worried about such things. True so true, but don’t worry, by the time you’re 40 this will be far from the worst silly thing you thought/did. Happy birthday kid.😃 ---
**Author:** ![SeniorCitizen007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@SeniorCitizen007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeniorCitizen007)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637/15 "2018-01-28T07:33:12Z")
Adolescence carries on until you’re around 25 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637/16 "2018-01-28T07:44:07Z")
I’m going to turn forty this year, so I’ll trade you, how about that? 😉 Seriously, relax. As someone pointed out, you’ll be able to buy yourself a beer next year. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637/17 "2018-01-28T07:48:33Z")
> [@SeniorCitizen007](#): > > Adolescence carries on until you’re around 25 Some people never grow out of it. ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637/18 "2018-01-28T07:56:44Z")
A billion seconds is the mark of senescence. I’m working on doubling it. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637/19 "2018-01-28T08:23:03Z")
> [@SeniorCitizen007](#): > > Adolescence carries on until you’re around 25 According to recent science it ends at 24: [Adolescence now lasts from the ages of 10 to 24, although it used to be thought to end at 19, scientists say.](http://www.bbc.com/news/health-42732442) ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637/20 "2018-01-28T09:32:23Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > According to recent science it ends at 24: [Adolescence now lasts from the ages of 10 to 24, although it used to be thought to end at 19, scientists say.](http://www.bbc.com/news/health-42732442) Is this of any significance other than for making excuses for bad behavior? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-19-and-the-thought-of-turning-20-scares-me/807637.md?page=2)