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Back in the 1800s, when people died young and before laws required children to go to school or protected them from exploitation, kids skipped straight to adulthood at an early age, said Douglas E. Abrams, a University of Missouri law professor and the co-author of "Children and the Law: Doctrine, Policy and Practice."

"Adolescence is really a 20th century phenomenon!"

And now, it's marked by a timeline of rules and regulations. Graduating from being a minor to the major leagues is usually the biggest deal. It means you are officially an adult and get most adult privileges and responsibilities. But until the early 1970s, that pivotal age was 21, not 18. A reaction to protests that young people were being sent to war before they could vote, the 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to 18. Some states even dunked the drinking age below 21, but after young people started driving across borders to get drunk, the age was bumped back to 21 across the nation in the 1980s, Abrams said.

Why 21? The number has a curious history.

In medieval England, 21 was the age at which a person was deemed strong enough to don a suit of armor into battle, Abrams said. That age of adulthood survived through the years and was carried over to the American colonies. On the one hand, Abrams said, that seems like a silly reason to keep 21 an important age. "But on the other hand," he said, "you've got to draw the line somewhere."

A child growing up crosses many of these lines, some that seem arbitrary, some that sway with controversy, some etched in law for centuries. The following list doesn't cover everything, but then, neither does life:

• 2 years - No more flying in mom's lap for free. At this age, you must sit in your own airplane seat.
  
  
• 6 - Sit up with pride: At 6 years or 60 pounds, you can do away with the booster or safety seat in the car. And call it a privilege or punishment, now you must be in school full time.
  
  
• 7 - The age of innocence is over. Traditionally, children under 7 have been considered incapable of criminal intent because they can't fully understand their actions. From now on, the state can hold you responsible for your actions.
  
  
• 12 - If you need to keep it secret, you can: You no longer need parental consent for medical care for sexually transmitted and other communicable diseases, rape, alcohol and drug abuse and outpatient mental health treatment. Any mentally competent minor, regardless of age, can get prenatal care or an abortion without parents' knowledge. You can also get a work permit, but you can't work on school days until age 14.
  
  
• 13 - Face it, you're good and old now - it's now officially cool with the U.S. Department of Transportation if you ride in the front of the car.
  
  
• 14 - Minors can become emancipated, with parental permission and court approval.
  
  
• 15 - In many states, with a driving permit, you can cruise as long as an adult is on the passenger side. Plus, if you're itching to purge plasma, you can now give blood and donate organs with parental consent.
  
  
• 16 - You can enlist in the armed forces (with parental and court consent).
  
  
• 17 - Parental controls are loosening. You can give blood without their consent and go to R-rated movies by yourself.
  
  
• 18 - You've made the majors. You might be called for jury duty, and if you're male, you have to register with the U.S. Selective Service (in case of a military draft). And among other things, now you can:
  
  - vote
  - get married without the folks' consent
  - have sex without being married (no minors are allowed to have sex legally unless they're married)
  - bike without a helmet
  - buy a rifle or shotgun
  - get a tattoo
  - get a professional body piercing (lip, tongue, nose, eyebrow, etc.) without a parent's permission
  - work without a work permit
  - file a lawsuit
  - buy tobacco products
  - buy a lottery ticket
  - gamble in Indian casinos that don't permit drinking in gaming areas.
  
  
• 21 - The end of your journey, for the most part. You're eligible to go to bars, drink alcohol and buy handguns.