is a 17 year old a young woman or teenage girl

[ilovefood1969]

or neither ?

A young woman and a teenager.

My dd2 is nearly 17, I would call her an older teenager.

Both.

Another strange age thread OP!

I would say both.

Both. She thinks she is a young woman, her parents probably see her as a teenager.

Adult, when she was me. Child, if she were my daughter.

Both

Both. You need some time for the transition; you can't be one one day and another the next. It is an age where a young girl with understanding parents can safely try out being a young woman in the knowledge that she can retreat to a teenager when she needs to.

Good post Cory.

IMO seeing aspects of both adult and child in the same person at different moments is one of the great things about having a teenager in the house.

I think legally 17 counts as "Young adult" to make the distinction?

I have a 17 year old son. He looks like a young man. Mostly acts like an adult. Underneath though there is a teenager with all the angst and insecurities that goes with it.

I have 2 DDs, 16 and 17. One day they can be extremely mature, the next day, very child like. Sometimes they need their Mum, other times, they can be extremely independant.

My 17 yo grandly informed us not so long ago that, now that she has a p/t job, she wouldn't be coming on holiday with us any more. She'd be going with her friends instead.
However, when she heard us making plans for a family hol with her sister and younger cousin, she was very indignant that she wasn't involved in family plans!!

Well, the law has mixed views on this.....

At 17, the police will treat you as an adult. There is a campaign to have this changed to 18.

You can drive at 17, but you can't vote.

You can get married.

You will pay N.I if working.

You can sometimes accompany under 16s to events/on planes etc as an adult, but not always.

You surely don't have much experience of life at the age of 17 though.

I think of 16-17 as being older teenagers, like some of the older teenagers. I think brain development is becoming less chaotic teenager and more adult usually at about 17.

depends on the person

cross posted * older teenagers, like some of the other posters