Once you turn 18, you gain the right to skip town with nothing but the clothes off your back and your identification and start a whole new life. You might've been a know-nothing virgin loser with unusually knobby knees in your hometown of Bethesda, Maryland, but after a 4-hour bus ride to Newark, New Jersey, and a change of costume, you can be whoever you want to be! That might not be the most popular option in the 21st century, nor would many parents approve of it, but it's your right as an adult nonetheless. Your mom might still tell you what to do when you're living under her roof, and you may choose to follow that order, but legally, she is no longer in charge of your big life decisions. The adult child in this story left her mom's home when she turned 18, and 2 years later, her mom is still trying to retain control of her.
This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
