DON'T Give Children the Vote

Although Vita Wallace brings up some good points in her essay, she is far from convincing me that children should have the right to vote. Children have not had enough education or life experience to be capable of casting a knowledgeable vote. Just as there are reasons that children aren't allowed to smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol, there are also reasons for them not to vote. Wallace says that children need the right to vote in order to protect their rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, I disagree. The children of today are already being pushed to grow up prematurely, simply because of the expectations held by society. If we give children the right to vote, we will be causing them to grow up and make important decisions even sooner than they do now. Childhood is an important phase of life, and there is no reason to rush into adulthood. It is the duty of a parent to make sure that their children aren't robbed of their rights. As soon as a person turns eighteen, they can take these matters into their own hands; until then, parents can handle it for them.
If children receive the right to vote, many other things would also have to change in our society. For example: if a child who holds the right to vote commits a crime, they should be charged in court as an adult, not as a minor. They should have to pay taxes, and they shouldn't be dependant upon their parents. None of these are logical advancements for our society. However, Wallace feels that she should have been voting since she was eight or nine years old. Eight year-old are simply incapable of making a vote that would benefit our society, even if they were "naturally curious and mostly interested in the electoral process."
As far as I am concerned, Vita Wallace is attempting to change the world, yet she isn't ready to do so. She is a standard sixteen year-old who wishes to be treated as an adult. Although I don't think she is yet ready to change the world, perhaps in two years, when she can legally vote, she will be. Her idea of allowing children to “grow into their right to vote at whatever rate suits them individually” sounds good in theory, but it would never work out in the real world.