But, Butterfli, at what point does their life become their total responsibility? As kids grow we do have to loosen the reins and be there to support them when they screw up, but you don't have to let the horse go free all at once. Sometimes it really SHOULD be "my house, my rules." A seventeen-year-old is almost an adult. But "almost" is the operative word, and there are still times where you have to lay down the law because they are not quite emotionally mature enough to be responsible for certain decisions. Heck, their frontal lobes aren't even fully developed, yet. And when you consider that the frontal lobe is responsible for making logical decisions, that should give you pause.