Some may think that being an adult comes with age.

That it's something you earn just from being able to say you're 18 years old or above. At 18, you're considered a "young adult," and when you turn 21, that's when people actually think you're a "real" adult. But again, think about it, what constitutes you being a real adult? Let me tell you, it's not by a number. Just because someone says "you're an adult now, you make your own decisions," doesn't mean you're an adult.

Just because you can go to rated R movies, doesn't mean you're an adult. Just because you shop in the "Adult Cereal Aisle," also does not mean that you are an adult. Now. I'm not trying to say that you aren't really an adult, because you are (technically), but to earn the true title of "adult," there are many things you must do.

When you're young, you can also be reckless. You can get angry quickly and you can act without thinking. When I turned 18, I would do this all the time. I'm almost 20 and I still do that sometimes, so I don't believe that I'm truly an "adult," yet. Have you ever heard someone say, "you're an adult now, so act like one?" Well, that's what I'm trying to get at. To truly be an adult, you have to act like one.

Being an adult is more than buying your own groceries and making your own food. Being an adult is so much more than going off on your own and going to college. Being an adult is more than just paying for your own gas or saying that you "adulted" today. You have to do much more than that. What determines if you're actually an adult is by your actions and how you choose to treat people and react to certain situations.

There is one word that comes to mind when I think of being an adult: Respect. Respect is something that isn't just given, it is earned. Isn't that apart of the Golden Rule? Treat others the way you want to be treated? (i.e respect).

As college students, when we are presented with a situation we don't agree with, we tend to lash out. We tend to defend our point right away and don't listen to the other around us. We find the "worse" in the situation and run with it. We tend to say "this isn't fair, this isn't right, but here is why I'M right." However, do you know where we find most of these "radical fights?" Social Media. Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and even Instagram.

The way we young "adults," choose to handle situations is still very much using our younger brain. Now, this doesn't just happen with college students. This happens with many "adults" who range from 21 to 35 all the way to 60 years old.

So, how can we truly become adults? Well, we have to change our attitude about things. We have to look at all sides of a situation. We have to realize "hey, I have my opinion, and maybe that's all it will ever be, which is an opinion."

We have to find the facts/truth in a situation. We have to make rational decisions and choose how we're going to react to certain situations. Life was not made for drama or overreactions. You can't live your entire life picking fights and choosing to think that you're the only person who is right in every situation you put yourself in.

Sometimes, you need to be on the other side and you have to choose to be wrong. Being an adult is about the choices you make, the respect you give, and your reactions to life. If one less person chooses to think rationally and not turn to anger immediately, then maybe the world can become a better place, one rational mind at a time.