Every day it becomes more clear to me that humans evolved to survive to an age where we can have kids, raise them past infancy, and that's it. Any time you get after that is basically a crime against nature.
Just go to poor families and you will see how early children develop into adults. You need to take care of your brother, or work, or both. Money makes a huge difference.*Not only that, but it is a major factor.
Having and fulfilling adult responsibilities does not make one an adult. Those kids are still kids, and the weight of those responsibilities on a psyche too young to deal with them, not to mention their own and as well as generational trauma, absolutely will catch up with them.
In the context of the post, 17 year olds are incapable of 'Having and fulfilling adult responsibilities' while 18s fully can, which doesn't make sense biologically, therefore putting arbitrary age restrictions doesn't make sense.
You become an adult when you become an adult and your psyche will be able to deal with things when it becomes able, not when you live for 6570 days (18 years) or whatever.
We don't have evidence that that specific - and imaginary - 13 year old isn't, maybe he isn't fully ready, but he's ready enough to deal with what he has to deal with. (remember people don't go from being treated like kids to having a 9 to 5, I am not saying we should let him bear his responsibility fully, but I think many 13 year olds, depending on how they're raised and genetics and climate and other factors, can have a part time job - at least, and do have the spirit of an adult, if not the the full set of abilities)
Also it is for the better to keep everyone close to using most of their abilities, abundant free time will lead to psychological issues most of the time, burying your worries in work is mostly healthy and increases the quality of life.
(That obviously dependents on WHAT you're burying, but work is probably the cure)
(Also I am not saying we should kick 13 year olds from school and encourage them to get jobs instead of education)
abundant free time will lead to psychological issues most of the time, burying your worries in work is mostly and healthy and increased the quality of life.
