Walk or sprint?
The inescapable teenage whiplash. How nice to be free from such troubles! As teenagers, most adults often view them as “immature” or “rebellious.” This endless stigma never seems to leave the room. If they act too “mature,” they are looked down upon for “ruining” their years as youngsters, but if they act too young, they are advised to act their age. So, how do you find the middle ground? The short answer is to draw your picture.
A Social Media Compass
Drawing your picture isn’t about being submissive to societal expectations. It’s about looking at your options and capabilities. You are essentially sketching your life. However, a sketch for every teenager has become increasingly homogenous over the years. Social media is a huge factor. Everyone feels they should act one way because a popular influencer does so or because all their friends are social media enthusiasts trying to keep up with trends. It’s this idea of trying to integrate themselves into this modern culture that often consists of things like proponents of heavy face makeup, piercings, and drugs, which make an apparent facade of “maturity.” Charlie Chen (10), a student at Yorba Linda High School, shares that “Being mature means knowing when to be responsible without losing who you are.” Maturity is not only defined as being “fully developed physically.” It is about taking on responsibility, a direct transition into adulthood.
Maturity Factors
This transition into adulthood is different for everybody. For some, it may come at 15, others at 12, and in some cases, even younger. My firm belief is that if someone is not old enough to get a driver’s license and reach the pedals, they should not be able to break or accelerate their life. They have not yet reached the checkpoint of augmented responsibility. In some cases, this augmented responsibility comes earlier. Maybe an older child is the only person who can take care of their younger sibling, and a single parent tasks them with house chores as well. Maturity is built on circumstances. Aiza Sheik (10), a student at Yorba Linda High School, elaborates, “The age at which a child should begin to feel the weight of the world is truly dependent on the individual.”
Why did teens from older generations look like adults?
A great example of environment and circumstance shaping young minds is from teenagers in the West during the 1500s. Most would have been expected to start working as early as 7 years old and were ordered to do labor equivalent to that of an adult in an adult world to feed the family. Back then, children were regarded as monetary possessions rather than human beings.
Your speed is chosen
Circumstance is the determinant factor of whether “mature” is a label you can possess or not. Responsibility will always chase you, but you decide to walk or sprint toward it.
