Autonomy Definition Essay

Adolescence is defined as any person between ten and nineteen years old by The World Health Organization. (Csikszentmihalyi) Autonomy is defined as the independence or freedom, as of the will or ones’ actions. (Autonomy) Oftentimes thinking back about ones’ adolescence can be very thought-provoking. How much autonomy did I have, how much conflict was there with my parents, and would I do the same thing with my future children are the questions to be answered today.
How much autonomy was there in my upbringing is the main question to be answered today. During adolescence, to me, it felt like I had no freedom. I believe every child feels this way at sometimes, especially children growing up in the United States. When I look back, I realize

My parents thought I was, for the most part, a “good girl.” They thought this because I went to school, I got good grades, I did what was asked of me at home, and I had many part-time jobs around our neighborhood so on the surface it appeared that I and they were doing all the right things. Unfortunately, because I almost never gave them a reason to question me, I did things that should have been questioned. I did not actively participate in things that were against the law, but I was witness to many of my peers doing so. My parents had always said that I had to be sixteen to date, but when I brought home a boyfriend at fifteen they agreed that we could date each other, because of the how well I had handled the mature decisions before that. I must say now that I was not mature enough to handle that because I also chose to have sex at fifteen years old and I was not mature enough to handle the emotions or consequences of that choice.
The second question to be answered today is about conflicts with my parents during adolescence. There was not a lot of intense conflicts between my parents and me during my adolescence. When there was, it was the typical stuff such as I want to spend the night with a friend on a school night or I want to go out with my friends and do my chores later. I believe there were everyday minor conflicts that helped to serve as a positive developmental function that helped me transition from being dependent on my parents and becoming a responsible autonomous