Imagine you’re driving home from work one night. Suddenly, a wild pack of teenagers run out in front of your car, forcing you to slam on the brakes. As they walk away, laughing excitedly and joking about how cool they are for running in traffic, you have to wonder: why? Why is it that people, especially teens, do stupid things, excusing their actions with their age or with the ever prevalent “YOLO” bellowing from their mouths? The transition from teen to responsible adult is anything but simple, but how much can this justify?
Being in high school, we all have the itch to create memories that will carry on to the next years of our lives. This is totally understandable, but there’s a point where immature actions become overbearing. Little things in school such as talking back to teachers, not doing homework or disrupting the learning process by making a ruckus only display the immaturity one can possess.
High school is the perfect time for an existential crisis. We crave the responsibility of being adults. We’re beginning to drive, preparing to leave for college or other plans after high school and trying to act more independently. We get mad when our parents give us curfews or when we’re treated as a child. However, just because we want to be treated as an adult, doesn’t guarantee that treatment. Showing responsibility by actually being responsible will earn adultlike treatment, as opposed to throwing a temper-tantrum and demanding to be treated like an adult.
Why should anyone treat you like an adult if you don’t act like one? Using the excuse of doing immature and seemingly pointless activities because of being young contradicts the idea of being treated like an adult. Being an adult means being responsible and mature. Though everyone can be immature at times, constant excuses don’t apply.
One of the biggest acts of immaturity found in school in my opinion is gossiping. “Friends” talking about each other every other day and being catty with hair-whipping bickering gets old to everyone who is witnessing it. Everyone has conflicts, but the way one goes about dealing with them shows a lot about that person.
Communicating and handling problems in a civil way will always allow people to take you more seriously instead of talking behind each other’s backs and doing little but trash talking. Immaturity can very well ruin friendships, and it shows you the true sides of your peers.
High school is all about growing up and learning how to move on to the next step in your life. It’s a time for learning as well as making mistakes. It’s best to leave immaturity behind and move forward to becoming an adult. Before you whine about not being treated like an adult, try acting like one first. As Mr. Nathanial Langelli says, “Every day, we have opportunities to practice maturity.”