When does childhood end?

     The answer to this question varies a lot because it is not the same for every person. Many people say that childhood ends at the age of 12 but I do not necessarily believe this is true. I think it is based on the responsibility you have and experiences that you have gone through. Many people are still children at 16, 18, 21 or even much later on in their life. It all depends. I read an article on BBC News that said that more than 2/3 of a group that was asked this question believed that childhood ends by 12. I am 18 years old and I would still not call myself an adult. Yes, I have a job and I have responsibilities but I do not act like an adult and I don't have bills to pay or a family to feed. I would not say that I have any more responsibilities than the average teenager does. Childhood is an extremely important time in a child's life because they have a lot of freedom and not many cares in the world. Childhood is what develops us into the people that we will become. Often you hear children complaining about how they wish they were older but I think that children should embrace their childhoods because there will not be another time is their life where they are as worry-free and stress-free as they are as kids. 

BBC News Article: http://www.bbc.com/news/education-21670962

     In the book Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi a little girl named Marji is growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and has to go through experiences that the average 10 year old girl would never have to go through during their life. She experiences war, protesting and committing violent acts. A great example of this would be shown on page 76. 

This is one of the comics in the book when Marji decides that she wants to join a protest and help to defend her family and friends. This is not the kind of activity that a child should be dealing with, Marji is forced to grow up way too fast in my opinion because of the situations she is dealing with where she lives. If she had been growing up in Iran during a different time I'm sure she would have had a much more normal childhood but because the revolution is going on she has to deal with things that no child should have to. Marji shows a knowledge that is rarely seen in kids her age. She knows a lot more than any other 10 year old girl would about the world, war and even God. I feel bad for Marji because she does not get to have the experiences and the worry-free life that the majority of the kids in the world have.