Reflecting on Maturity: From Childhood Desires to Adult Responsibilities

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Dear Hive friend and Hive Learner Members,

When I was a kid, I always wanted to become an adult quickly, and now that I am grown up and have kids of my own, I always think childhood is the best age. During our childhood, we depend on others, which is why we always want to grow up so that we can make our own decisions. I guess most people think along similar lines. The most powerful desires during childhood are purchasing toys, clothes, and favorite foods, and for all this, we depend on the elders of our family. This makes us believe that we can also purchase items of our choice if we grow out of childhood. We did not have enough understanding to realize that getting out of childhood and entering adulthood also comes with responsibilities, not just the ability to purchase anything of our choice. The reality is, when we get married, we think more about our family compared to ourselves. I always do more purchasing for my kids and wife compared to myself, and I guess it's natural, and most people would agree with me. This sense of responsibility is what makes the difference between childhood and maturity. The sense of taking responsibility is what makes us mature.

If I talk about India, we have a legal age for voting at 18 years, and according to the law, the age for marriage is also 18. So, we can say in India the legal age of maturity is 18 years. Casting a vote and getting married both are great responsibilities. One is to build the future of the nation and the other is to build the future of one’s own family. But in reality, is there any age limit for maturity? As per my knowledge, in many Western countries, the age considered to be mature is even less than 18 years. So, I do not think that maturity is always linked with age, but I agree that after the age of 16, we humans are at a stage when our brain has developed and is prepared to understand the circumstances around us and make most general decisions independently. I say most general decisions, not all decisions, as I have seen many people get confused and puzzled in many situations even at the age of 50 plus. So, at this age, we understand the world around us, and we can process the data coming to our brain and make decisions.

I have seen some people who look mature even at a younger age itself and some people who do not show maturity in any of their actions. The environment and the situations play a crucial role in this case. Many people take the responsibility of their family at a very early stage, and there may be many reasons for the same. Sometimes situations arise, and we do not have control over them, and such situations teach us many lessons in our lives. I understand it also depends on how you grew up and how your parenting was. If you are not set free to make small decisions in your life, how can you be prepared to make bigger decisions in the future? Many parents take charge of their kids for an extended period, and this is where the problem arises. We learn from our mistakes and we also learn from others' mistakes. But we get confident only when we make decisions on our own. We cannot learn how to drive by just sitting beside an experienced driver and watching him drive. We have to put in the effort and do some experiments and learn the techniques; then only can we drive.

Maturity comes only from our own behavior. But as we understand, age is not a limit, but in most cases, age matters. By the age of 18, we gain enough experience and power of understanding that we can make most decisions on our own.

Please do share your views in comment section.

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