[Larry_OHF]

Originally posted by Ronn_Bman: ...it is weird that being born one day earlier or later could make such a huge difference in punishment. Age restrictions, and exceptions, are so incredibly arbitrary.

I agree with this statement, because I know that people mature at different levels that cannot be measured by how many days the person has been alive. A poor boy growing up in a hard enviroment will be more mature than the rich boy whose parents do not allow him to play in the street or be out past 8pm. A girl who has had to raise her siblings on her own because the one parent in the home works all day and is not there will be more mature than the girl that still plays with dolls at that same age. The mind of a child matures, depending on genetics and enviroment, as well as length of days.

My opinion, each case is different and should be handled individually. Who cares what the International Norm is. Maybe all of them are wrong. Maybe they are right, but we should not base our decision on what others do.