Coming of Age

It has been mentioned about what should the legal of drinking be? Then the topic turns to if you are old enough to die for your country at 18, why are you not old enough to drink? I mean, you can go to another country and be able to drink.
But back at the birth of our country the legal age of adulthood was 14. You were able to work and learn a trade and start a life of your own. Now the age is 18, however, a 14yr old can be charged as an adult if the commit a crime. Why is that? Should the age be lowered back down to 14? No it will never go back down to 14, yet some want to raise the age to 21.
The point is that some parents want to keep their kids as long as they can, if you raise the age then when do they become adults? How do you go about saying someone is an adult or not.
The adult age was raised to 18 to allow for a complete public education. Most teenagers complete high school around the age of 18 and now are ready to face the world on their own. Some go off to college, others join the work force, and those that are able, with the will and desire to do so, join the military.
What do you think the legal age of adulthood should be?

Max M. Power