Congrats you are a man now

[Karalectric]

For the boys....

This produced some good discussion at girls puberty so i thought i would make a boys version..... basically, question is this - at what point do you consider yourself a man? Like is it an age or maturity thing? A particular puberty milestone? What do you think?

[InternetTeen]

When I can take care of myself without relying on my parents all the time, e.g. food, shelter, transport

[ShineintheDark]

It's a really arbitrary thing - some guys can be 16 and be supporting themselves in a loving, stable relationship. Some guys can be 40 and still living at home with their parents. I guess we attribute being a standard, self-sufficient adult to being a 'man'/'woman'.

[Jrunner]

When I can take care of myself without relying on my parents all the time, e.g. food, shelter, transport

^ this, a man takes care of himself (and his family if he has one), and a woman does the same.

[Maxbreak]

Probably a bit shallow, but I feel some guys big and a bit of a stud once he's had sex.

[Zika]

To make a general observation, guys are less likely to be snowflakes and be upset about being told they're a man now. Or to be upset that another guy is considered a man earlier than they are. That's rather shallow.

[joefelix]

Never thought about it. As people have said it's arbitrary. People who say there is a specific point are just wrong imo. Turning from a child to adult is not an event. It is a transition - which occurs at different times for different people and includes different milestones for different people - it's not all about one thing.

[Karalectric]

To make a general observation, guys are less likely to be snowflakes and be upset about being told they're a man now. Or to be upset that another guy is considered a man earlier than they are. That's rather shallow.

This was obviously for me because you called me snowflake in the girls thread. Why are you being so mean to me?!? :confused:

[Zika]

This was obviously for me beause you called me snowflake in the girls thread. Why are you being so mean to me?!? :confused:

If it was for you I would have directed it to you.
And personal issues should be addressed in private, not public.

[Karalectric]

If it was for you I would have directed it to you.

Yeah.... okay.

[ArfyMcPeesh]

Like someone said, and it’s shallow, but getting laid pretty much definitely means you’re a man. But I don’t necessarily feel that way, just going by what most people are too afraid to admit.

[Karalectric]

Never thought about it. As people have said it's arbitrary. People who say there is a specific point are just wrong imo. Turning from a child to adult is not an event. It is a transition - which occurs at different times for different people and includes different milestones for different people - it's not all about one thing.

Oooh this is a good thought, Joe! I should copy and paste this into the girls thread haha

[mick01]

Never thought about it. As people have said it's arbitrary. People who say there is a specific point are just wrong imo. Turning from a child to adult is not an event. It is a transition - which occurs at different times for different people and includes different milestones for different people - it's not all about one thing.

Ya, spot on.

[Ben7]

Well technically, boys legally become men at 18. But I don't think that's exactly what you meant, and I certainly would question whether some 18 year olds are "men" based on their immature behavior.

I would say you're a man when you are responsible, organized, have a job and can sustain yourself hopefully, as well as when you show a certain level of maturity in your day to day life. Physical traits could include hair and size I suppose but I don't know if that's necessarily "required." And sexual experiences of any kind are not necessarily a requirement either, though for many it may be, especially once that person is in their late teens into their early/mid 20s which means they probably had certain kinds of sexual experiences anyways.

I guess the biological criteria would be that a man is a person who has finished with puberty, whose brain has finished most or all of its development (as it is often said that teenagers' brains are still developing), your body size and muscle mass and all other biological characteristics come to a standstill as far as no further growth or major changes will occur.

[scott2002]

The first time I ejaculated (and my voice hadn't even changed yet) I sort of felt like I was now a man because "I could get a girl pregnant and father a child". (Actually, I later learned that that soon, boys are not yet producing enough healthy sperm to actually get that job done.)
I then again felt like I was finally a man after the first time I ejaculated inside a girl. (Biologically, that's what the male of the species is required to do - inseminate the female.)
I think I will really feel like a man when I'm married and supporting a family and start having kids.

[ska8er]

I think when u take responsibility for urself and
u don't have to rely on someone else to guide u.
In some cases u can b a man at 16 cause u have
to make ur own decisions or at 21 when u reach
the age of majority.

[Zachary G]

I think manhood is more of a maturity thing than an age thing. I mean, they say that youre a man when you come of age (18), but I personally think it happens when you stop acting like you have no responsibilites and step up and begin to take care of yourself.

[Pultost]

It's a really arbitrary thing - some guys can be 16 and be supporting themselves in a loving, stable relationship. Some guys can be 40 and still living at home with their parents. I guess we attribute being a standard, self-sufficient adult to being a 'man'/'woman'.

Even if a guy is 40+, lives with his parents and still gets allowance, it would still be weird to call him a boy, even if he still is mentally. xD

[Naturelover]

It is said by somebody (I forget who) that 4 things are necessary to make a man: 1. That he should plant a tree. 2. That he should write a book. 3. That he should get a child. 4. That he should build a house.

[arnorway]

Never thought about it. As people have said it's arbitrary. People who say there is a specific point are just wrong imo. Turning from a child to adult is not an event. It is a transition - which occurs at different times for different people and includes different milestones for different people - it's not all about one thing.

no likes here, but this would deserve one :D:yes:

[Karalectric]

Even if a guy is 40+, lives with his parents and still gets allowance, it would still be weird to call him a boy, even if he still is mentally. xD

Yea..... i heave heard the term "man-child" before. How about that? xD

no likes here, but this would deserve one :D:yes:

Yes. So far Joe is winning! :P

[Hermes]

This is a very interesting question because what joefelix said about there being a gradual transition from childhood into adulthood is true in so many ways and yet at the same time I think we like the idea of it being an event and celebrating with a rite of passage. As an example, the Jews have Bar Mitzvah which is traditionally at 13. Is it a coincidence that this is just a little later than the average age for a boy to start ejaculate? Who knows. The Bar Mitzvah is not unique with various similar ceremonies in various other cultures with a run down of these in the Wikipedia article on coming of age. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coming_of_age)

Accepting that it is a transition there are various milestones along the way thatwe can mentally tick off. Physically, there is first ejaculation. Even though, as Scott pointed out, that doesn't actually correspond to the beginning of fertility that will follow within a year or two. Then there is completing skeletal growth and then last of all is completing brain development which may be as late as 25.

Legally, we have the age of criminal responsibility, i.e. where you get punished for your crimes rather than your parents, and the age of majority, i.e. where the law finally considers you to be an adult. Depending on where you live there can other ages that don't necessary correspond to either of those such as the age of sexual consent, the age to drive a car, the age to drink alcohol etc. People often celibrate being able to drink, maybe twice i.e. first time they were able to obtain alcohol illegally and the first time they bought it legally.

The other thing that happens as you develop through childhood into adulthood is ever increasing independence so things that are obviously milestones here include moving from education into work, moving out of your parents house into your own place, etc. For those who don't move out right away there can be a transition from asking permission to go places to simply telling your parents when to expect you back and there will be a transition from your parents telling you what you should be doing to asking for advice to making mostly your own decisions etc.

And while all of these things contribute to the feeling of being a man rather than boy and also how we think of others, there isn't one that is the essential ingredient that, if missing, disqualifies one from being a man.

[Pultost]

Yea..... i heave heard the term "man-child" before. How about that? xD

Man-child works. xD

[Adamant]

Lots of good stuff which I can't really add to.
TBh the first time I ejaculated I thought maybe it was manly but I guess thinking like that shows I wasn't.
Weird in the UK that you are considered an adult at 18 but are allowed to get married at 16 - as long as your parents agree. Reckon marriage takes more maturity than voting.

[Hermes]

...Weird in the UK that you are considered an adult at 18 but are allowed to get married at 16 - as long as your parents agree. Reckon marriage takes more maturity than voting.

I suppose it depends how much thought you put into voting. Other people did mention sexual exploration but I agree with you that maintaining a romantic relationship whether before or after marriage requires more maturity than one night stands. There are other anomalies in some of the age limits for doing things, like for example one can join the army in the UK at 16, though that is only to train - one has to be 18 to be deployed.

So the discussion about when a girl becomes a woman included some discussion on to what extent was fertility important and, in particular, has this become less important as attitudes and women's role in society has changed. I wonder if the emphasis here is slightly different than it is for boys. If so, possibly the explanation is that when recovering from hard times, for example after the plague, it is female fertility that sets the rate of population rebuilding so in that sense female fertility is considered a more valuable commodity than male fertility. That's not to be sexist or suggest that women's role is limited to that, just an acknowledgement of biological fact and that this can drive attitudes. In good times, of course, it isn't an issue - most couples have the number of children they choose to have, not as many as possible.

[breaux]

When you reach the age of an adult. Thing such as responsibility, maturity etc. shouldn't matter.

[justa16yearoldaussie]

physically, when they get pubic hair or finish puberty, or achieve orgasm. socially, when they can support themselves independently. sexually, when they lose there virginity