[5]: 14 A popular view exists by which the period is institutionalized as a rite of passage, and the usual behavioral restrictions are relaxed, so that Amish youth can acquire some experience and knowledge of the non-Amish world.
A view of rumspringa has emerged in popular culture that this divergence from custom is an accepted part of adolescence or a rite of passage for Amish youth.
Adults who have made a permanent and public commitment to the faith would be held to the higher standards of behavior defined in part by the Schleitheim and Dordrecht confessions.
[10]: 154 [11][12][13][14] It is the period when a young person is considered to have reached maturity and is allowed to attend the Sunday night "singings," which are central to courtship among the Amish.
According to Amish sources, a youth who attends one of these events before the age of 16 might be force-fed warm milk from a spoon, as a good-natured reminder to respect the social boundaries.
[citation needed] Most of them do not wander far from their family's homes during this time, and large numbers (85–90%)[16] ultimately choose to join the church.
Far from an open separation from parental ways, the misbehavior of young people during the rumspringa is usually furtive, though often collective (this is especially true in smaller and more isolated populations).
Wenger Mennonites youth go through a period of rumspringa starting at age 17 and typically ending at marriage, a few years older than the Amish do.
A season 6 episode of the Canadian sitcom Letterkenny entitled "Dyck's Slip Out" features two characters who go missing on their Rumspringa.
A season 5 episode of the series Bones features the main characters trying to solve the murder of an Amish teen who was on his Rumspringa.
A season 5 episode of the police procedural drama Cold Case entitled "Running Around" features the main characters trying to solve the murder of an Amish teen who was on her Rumspringa.
A season 1 episode of the series Longmire entitled "The Dark Road" features the main characters trying to solve the murder of a Mennonite teen who was on her Rumspringa.
Episode 9, Season 10 of ER titled "Missing" has as its central storyline two Amish teenagers involved in a car collision whilst exploring Chicago.
In a season 6 episode of the sitcom 30 Rock, called "Leap Day", Liz Lemon talks about her "crazy" experience on Rumspringa after high school.