Student legally becomes an adult, trumps parents’ rules

A disappointed mother struggles to decide how to punish her rebellious 18-year-old.

Madeline Laguaite

A disappointed mother struggles to decide how to punish her rebellious 18-year-old.

Senior Lauren Johnson recently turned 18 and has decided that, because she had a birthday yesterday, she doesn’t have to abide by her parents’ rules. Like many students in the area, Johnson doesn’t pay for the gas in her car, nor the bill for her iPhone 6S; her parents do. Still, when her parents politely requested Johnson pick up her younger brother, Kyle, from school, the young adult refused. “How could they ask that I pick him up? It’s my car. Besides, my dad can leave work early to get him.” When her parents then reminded her that they gave her the new, white Jeep Wrangler to help them when they need it, Johnson scoffed and resorted to repetition. “Well it’s my car now, isn’t it? I’m 18. I’m an adult and I do what I want now,” the senior told the Lambert Post. “That’s what happens when you turn 18. You get all this new freedom and it’s great. I can’t wait to go to college and further express my individuality. I won’t have to live in my parents house and use their money. I’ll be living in a dorm!” Johnson added that currently, she is not working, but is rather “enjoying life the way she wants.”