sweet 17?

This week I celebrated my 17th birthday. I realized that there are really no perks in turning 17. For girls especially, you celebrate your "sweet 16." I never wanted to throw my own extravagent sweet 16 party, but I enjoyed going to my classmates. More importantly, one of my guilty pleasures is the MTV show where you can watch the spoiled girls throw fits, test drive $100,000 cars, and have gigantic parties.

Then there's your 18th birthday where you become a legal adult. There are negative consequences, like after you turn 18 you're responsible for your own actions, and there's the famous line, "now you can get arrested..." But, turning 18 is such a big deal because you enter adulthood.

Then there's 17. You're not an adult. Traditionally, you don't throw a giant party. It's just a stepping stone between two major events. The only thing you can do is buy rated-R movie tickets for yourself without an adult.