It’s an age old saying: “I need a man, not a little boy.” Women have been declaring this statement for as long as they realized there was a difference, beyond just the physical, that makes a man different from an adolescent boy. Not only do women throw around that saying more than they change outfits, but nearly everyone has a different perspective on what separates a man from a boy.
Some women, like Chanel Smith, 21, say that a man makes his own money, while a boy would wait for his parents to give him his weekly allowance.
Her argument makes sense, seeing as most grown men have jobs and are able to support a possible family. I asked a few of the other girls what they thought made a man and the general consensus was responsibility.
“Boys don’t take on responsibilities,” says Karima Fyfield, 21. “They don’t pay their own cell phone bill and they will do anything to avoid any long-term responsibility. They’re not as responsible as a man should be.”
When I questioned this argument, a few of the other girls were able to agree that even boys have responsibilities. They may not make their own substantial money and they may not have careers, but doesn’t everyone have responsibilities, even if it’s as simple as taking out the trash or making sure you have good grades?
Raising this question caused a roar of answers to flow into the already compelling conversation, but only one clearly defined the answer of responsibility.
“The difference between a boy and a man is that a man isn’t afraid to act accordingly to his responsibilities,” says Diniece Howell, 21.
So maybe that’s it; maybe a man isn’t defined by his responsibilities, but by how he responds to each one.
Now, what about the flip side of this coin? What do men think about the subject? Women are always tossing it around, but do men think there’s a difference between a man and a boy?
Nick Salamone, 18, thinks what separates a man and a boy is simply his, er, packaging. When asked to differentiate between the two, he looked down at his crotch with a mischievous grin.
“What do you think?” he asks.
Foolishness aside, Nick had a point. But I was searching for an answer of substance, one that would describe the characteristics of a man past just a boy who went into physical puberty.
Vincent Cusumano, 19, brought the discussion back to money and says that the only difference separating a man from a boy is how he makes his own money and can fend, financially that is, for himself.
Ben Sweet, 20, however, says it’s about more than that.
“A man has courage to face his responsibilities head on and not back away from the consequences of his actions,” he says.
Clearly, everyone has different opinions about what characteristics separate a boy from a man. Some people believe that a man doesn’t live in his mother’s basement, others think that a man is someone who makes his own money and can support a family, and some think that a man is someone who has enough courage to face repercussions of his actions.
So collegiettes™, remember that a man is whatever you consider him to be. There are no exact answers to the question and maybe that’s for the best. Each one of us wants something different when it comes to a potential partner, so everyone’s opinion on what makes a man different from a boy varies as well.