AIBU to not consider 21 a milestone birthday?

[DragonsAndDaffs]

Do you consider 21 a milestone birthday?
DD is 21 soon, and many of her friends have already turned 21; none of them has had a party, and they have all just marked the birthday like any other... they all consider 18 the milestone coming-of-age birthday, and I would agree.

I'm old enough to remember my aunt turning 21 in 1969, before the voting age was lowered in 1970.

YANBU 21 is not a milestone
YABU 21 is still a milestone

Of course it is! YABU @DragonsAndDaffs

We celebrate all birthdays, and the bigger ones even more! Celebrated my daughter’s 21st and now planning my son’s. Any excuse in this house 🎉I also had big 30th, 40th and 50th parties for me. I know that will shock many on here who thinks adults should never celebrate a birthday!

I'm in my early 50s and myself, my brother and all my cousins (who are older than me) all had parties to celebrate turning 21. I also had a 30th, 40th and a 50th! Perhaps I just like throwing parties. 😂
My brother had a 10th wedding anniversary party and a 50th shared with his son who turned 21 within a month.

"21 used to be the age of maturity."

Of majority, not maturity. Some people never mature!

Key to the door. I just googled to check: 21st Birthday Key Of The Door - Historic UK (historic-uk.com)

I think 21 is still culturally seen as more important than 22, but nowadays I'd say that 18 is the big "you are adult!!" birthday and 21st birthdays get skipped over in favour of celebrating university graduation in the same year. Perhaps if you don't go to university straight from school then 21 is still done as more of a celebration?

Awwww
I remember my Dad singing this to me on my 21st Birthday ❤

I’m late 50s i had a party for my 21st

My DD is 21 next year and we will be marking it as a special day. I am in my 50's and my 21st was celebrated more so than my 20th or 22nd. It has always been a milestone Birthday in my family.

Party venues much prefer people celebrating their 21st rather than their 18th with a massive do!

When you turn 18, the chances are that you have friends who are a little bit younger, and it can be dodgy for them with potentially serving alcohol to/for underage people, especially if they get the slightly older ones to go to the bar.

Once you're 21, most of your peers are also very likely to be safely old enough to drink!

I don't know anyone who celebrated 21 as anything more special than any other birthday! Lots of big 18th parties, but none for 21.

Does your daughter consider it a milestone, thays really what’s key,

18 is legally an adult, but 21 is a bit more "grown-up". At 18, peers may still be 17 and unable to go out, plus often still at school. Many at 21 are living away at uni or more established into jobs.

I had house parties for both. 18th in the family home, 21st at uni that I organised myself. 19 & 20 were just nights out with heavier alcohol intake than average (back in the days when students could afford to be inebriated on 2-4-1 cocktail offers )

It’s weird because 16 still is but many of the things a 16 yo used to be able to do are now off limits till 18. I still treat it as a milestone for my eldest DC earlier this year, even though he can’t get a lottery ticket as I could at his age!

I think it’s a milestone birthday! Good a reason as any to enjoy it. The last milestone birthday of being young and carefree and having peak metabolism! It’s a fun one!

18 is the really big first milestone birthday with the mini milestone birthdays (16 and 21) for smaller steps either side. The next milestone birthdays after that are just 30, 40, 50, 60 etc.

Given how people are often excusing behaviour with 'but the brain doesn't mature until 25' on here perhaps we should start celebrating that instead.

It’s the only milestone birthday to me, but then we don’t really celebrate things like that to any great extent in my family. When my daughter turned 21 we took her out for a nice meal and bought her a piece of jewellery tjst she really wanted. But she didn’t want a party anyway.

Not really anymore. I didn’t give any extra for 21 but did for 18.

No she doesn't see it as a milestone, nor do any of her friends. They are all (some already have) celebrating their birthdays but as a normal birthday rather than a special birthday.

It's still worth celebrating from a traditional and historical POV, I think. I celebrated it, low key, many moons ago. Still got the gold ring DM gave me.

Fabulous 🥳

I'm mid fifties and we all had big 21st parties. My daughter has just had one, and is going to others so they're definitely still happening. Had a smaller 18th more of a bbq and some of her friends just had a night out etc, but when has 16 become a thing? I've never heard of it, or 30 for that matter. The turning 40 was always an excuse for the old people to party 😭.

Of course it is. Ive been to many 21st birthday parties.

They literally asked you if you considered 40 or 60 in the comment that this is in reply to 😂

It used to be (I remember my 21st party) but 18 seems to be the big one now.