the difference

The differences between being a man and a boy is your ability to face what life hands you.

My nephew has a chance at a good paying job but it is 1200 miles from home and it presents other lifestyle changes to him.

At the age of 32 he is nervous and excited.

I told him he shouldn't be.

I explained to him that he has been living his life as a boy and it was time to leave all of that behind.
In his life he needs daily contact with a great number of his friends, he needs to 'hang out' with people, he needs to idle away his time in the company of others, he needs constant reassurance of his value. This is the life of American youth.

I explained to him that as a man he should go about his life doing his business. He should live among people not live as part of a group.

I pointed out that 'hanging out' was something that people with nothing to do, no money and no direction did.

People who live life do not 'hang out', they might visit other people, they might go places with other people, they might do things with other people, but they don't have a need to just be around their friends as much as possible.

I also explained to him that as a man he could just face the challenge of his opportunity and take care of things. As a boy he is anxious and afraid and unsure.

You're not an adult when you pay your own bills or live on your own. Those are mundane tasks in our society that are not too demanding.

You're an adult when you can deal with things effectively and rationally without the help of others.