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I was born as the saying goes "with an old head on young shoulders"
Relatively speaking I've always been a very mature person, but that has a lot to do with my personality. I have always listened carefully to things and taken a lot of time to think things over before making decisions, taking action, or taking a stand. But I'm certainly still childish in many many ways.

I've always felt and still have that scene of being out of place among people who are much more immature than I am and yet think they are very mature.
Its like a paradox. I see people who seem so confident in their maturity and yet all they do are things I would be embraced to be seen doing. The worst are the people who run at the mouth with out realizing that they make no sense and get defensive and angry when you point out their flaws.

Oh totally. I learned in my college psych class that there's a whole part of the brain that allows a person to rationally understand that just because you feel bad on a particular day, it doesn't mean you'll feel bad forever. That part of the brain doesn't fully mature untill you're somewhere between 20-30. Until that part of your brain is fully matured, it's much more diffcult to understand something before you've experienced it.

xd About once every few years, I think about how I acted and whatnot in previous years and I always think, "Man...I can't believe I thought I was an adult back then." But I think it's natural to feel that way too. Especially when we're teenagers, we want to be more independent and to be taken more seriously. We want our opinions to be as valid as anyone else's.

I agree that it takes a while before a person is truly an "adult" but I think it's also natural and ok for a teen/20something to try and act more like an adult even when they're not fully mature. Hopefully they'll be able to look back on different phases of their life and reflect on how much they've learned. 3nodding

Wait...I'm supposed to be an adult now? ******** that.

Adulthood is apparently just the chronological age at when your brain finishes construction of itself...that, and the inability to have an imagination. I still have an active imagination and imaginary adventures (gotta do something during those commutes), therefore I must still be a child, because the rational part of my brain has yet to tell me such things are wrong. So maybe that rational part of my brain isn't fully developed yet despite my age...in your face, adulthood!

Yeah, OK, maybe it doesn't quite work that way. I just know how to turn of that whiny rational side that thinks I should be more boring and fit in with the other acceptable adults. Why? Because those people are boring and lifeless and I refuse to become that. Children are so much more interesting.

So, if I turn off that inane rational part of my brain, can I please be a child again? I mean I still don't look like I've reached college age yet, so I clearly still can play the part. Please???

EDIT: Yes, even having a fully mature brain hardly qualifies one as being rational, intelligent, and/or able to function as a part of society. Nor does having a brain that is still growing reduce one to levels of utter incompetence, deviance, and/or stupidity. I have known plenty of teenagers who have a far better grasp on life and the world around them than most adults, and plenty of adults who are down right inane and useless when it comes to functioning as a self sufficient individual.

Anecdotal evidence is fallible but it's always nice to have first hand experience of what you're talking about.

Right?

Really... No... really? I just can't even...

Stay the ******** out.

ANYWHO, back on topic. The point is not whether you think like an adult or are "mature" like one, but if you can look upon your experiences in life and understanding why one thing had to happen over another.

Like a teen may get upset when their parents say "You're not hanging around with 'so-and-so'". The child is upset do because they cannot understand why their parents are telling them who they can and cannot hang around with. Years later, when they finally reach the stage of being able to look back and see what so-and-so is like they'll finally understand why their parents said what they did however many years ago.

Much like when you look back at all the "popular kids" and see that being popular was actually a bad thing. These people never grew up and are still seeking attention from who ever they can. I know when I was little I wanted to be one of the "cool" kids so badly, but now that I see what they are like, I'm glad I never was.

@Everain: No, GTR just wanted to make a post.

Wow, someone completely missed what was said.

This wasn't a rant, this was a post about brain development. That's all.

I'm ignoring him until he has an actual argument.

You mean the point that your entire post is condescending and it's implication are completely incorrect on a realistic level.