I think it’s an American notion – to get wasted on your twenty-first birthday. As the month of my birthday rapidly approached the questions came flooding in; what was I going to be doing, where was I going, who was I going to be with, would I need to be off from work the day after? I just kept thinking, why does everyone care? Then I realized, that I didn’t have the traditional plans that a college senior has for my birthday. All of my co-workers kept telling about how I was going to change my mind, I had to get drunk, and yet there I was, insisting that I was just going to run to the Wine and Spirits and get myself a nice bottle of wine. That plan sounded like the most fun in my mind – so what is the buzz about being buzzed on your twenty-first birthday?
In America, we have completely lost the idea of drinking for the taste and the food, and we are all left thinking the only reason we should drink to get drunk. It feels like in modern culture one woman can’t have just one glass of wine, she needs to drink the whole bottle – and I can’t help but wonder why we (collectively as a nation) look at becoming twenty-one as the last big year of partying and being irresponsible. The reality is that becoming twenty-one is not the last year someone has to act like a child; becoming twenty-one is the first year society expects one to act like an adult.
For my birthday, I woke up just like any other day. Got dressed, threw on some makeup, and went to lunch with a friend. It was weird for me to order a drink, and in fact ordering the drink didn’t make my meal any better worse. I was excited to drink my first legal drink, and took a celebratory photo of me with my girly, pink drink because it’s tradition right? Later that day I went to dinner with a few friends and again I ordered one drink. For me, it wasn’t about the drinks. It was about seeing my friends and celebrating life. I had such a good time laughing and talking with them – isn’t that what someone is supposed to do on their birthday?
Later that night, my mom came home. I was sitting on the couch watching Netflix in my jammies, and she wanted to know if I had a good birthday and some good drinks. I told her that the day was fine and that I was just nice to see everyone. She seemed confused by the notion that I hadn’t gone out and partied all night. What was wrong with that? What was so wrong with me wanting to come home a decent hour? I had work the next day, it was a Wednesday night, and I just didn’t want to? Why was everyone making me feel like I was doing something wrong for doing the responsible thing? That’s when I realized that it didn’t matter what she thought, or my co-workers thought. I had an amazing time, and maybe I am the oddball. I am happy to remember my twenty-first birthday, I am happy how I spent it, and I am happy to break free from the expectations modern culture tried to shove down my throat.