Formally marking significant life transitions adds to age appropriate performance. It is important to do more than just a celebration however. The relationships with grown-ups and Elders need to take on some new dimensions. Also, new responsibilities need to be put into play.

There are several organizations or sub-cultures which have “rites of passage” that they utilize to mark a life transition. Even high school or college graduations can take on this role for some families. Two very important junctures are the end of childhood and the entrance into adulthood.

It is important for a human to be allowed and encouraged to fully be in the stage they are currently going through. Childhood is an important time to be able to gain a sense of belonging and to explore, especially the natural environment. I believe that you would find that those robbed of childhood have identity difficulty in adolescence and adulthood.

There is a time to be a child and a time to drop away childishness. The natural juncture happens when puberty begins. The metamorphic shift to becoming a fully functioning human being erupts. This is when indigenous cultures dramatically ended childhood. The Elders took over the honing of life skills and passing on the secrets of life. The future of the tribe depended on success of this training.

I ask many parents when they think that their own parents recognized them as an adult. Few have a ready answer and some believe their parents still don’t recognize them as adults. I will never forget the day and method my father used to formally bring me into adulthood. It provided me with strength and direction for which I will ever be grateful.