[xtiffanyx]

I'm 22...I feel stuck at 16/17. I'm mainly talking about the way I think and act, but even in appearance I don't think I've changed much since I was 15.

[~*sUngEuN2*~]

hahah meeh too...i feel like i just graduated high school still... T.T"

[cloudsdownhere]

Depends on what....for critical things in life, I do think I have matured. For little things that piss me off, I can be pretty immature.

[kdawg2k]

I'm 25...i keep saying to myself i should act 10 years older (like 35) but instead i feel like i'm still in a college student mentality. Time flies! A few years ago i was still in school messing around my friends. Now i'm a fulltime professional. Go figure.

If it weren't for Korean music (hip-hop, pop) right now, i would still be playing video games or some other activity that hinders my social skills (as if they weren't hindered enough already).

Yeah, i feel old.

[julz~16]

Perhaps, in the 'olden days', people reached a certain level of maturity at a particular age range, because life was different then, and they had to overcome many obstacles in order to get somewhere in life within a particular time frame. That expectation for maturity at certain ages has probably carried itself over to contemporary times.

However, it is difficult to mature in times when life is expected to be carefree - free of oppression, free of pain, free of all negativities. With such expectations, it becomes more difficult to overcome life's hurdles. Instead of learning from life's hurdles, people tend to dwell on the reason for why there were hurdles in the first place.

Maybe that's why many people nowadys don't feel like they're "acting their age". I think, in today's society, your level of maturity comes down to what sort of life you've lived and how you've lived it.

[yabasta]

@ julz~16: although, that would be assuming that life was at one time not as 'carefree' as you describe it. Arguably, of what we know of the past, the present times is 'seemingly' free of oppression, pain and suffering. But I think this is something that is predominant in western societies; and I can only say with 'general' opinion on the big Anglophone settler societies (Australia, Canada, USA, and NZ).

I'm not suggesting however that maturity can be experienced without suffering or pain ... but maybe we are having to deal with different sorts of hurdles to overcome.

An anaology may help; think of 21st century's problems as epitomised by the internet. It's something new, and there's lot of things that we as individuals, groups and as governments just don't know about - especially what's to be expected. I think our lives today for the 20 something year olds is the same ... there are so many new things that the human society and individual just haven't experienced before. Part of being mature (and I don't want to say, 'gain' maturity) is to overcome whatever comes your way.

Perhaps today there's less of the more obvious and 'old' problems. But problems exist.

I can only recommend that people today think more about the relevant issues, and resolving those may help satisfy what is inevidently a human desire to 'become mature through conflict-resolution'.

I'll take my own life as an example (since I can only speak for myself):

I got a job when I was in high school
I finished high school with good grades
I got my driver's license
I fixed my computer on my own
I failed miserably at a lot of things lol and learnt from them
I read a lot ... learned a lot
I travelled to a foreign country on my own with very little money and planning (and came back safe!)
I joined an organisation (NGO) to help Koreans in NZ (only recently but I think it was a significant achievement for me, as an immigrant, and as a Korean that never really integrated well with other Koreans).
I'm finishing my postgraduate studies, and planning for future studies
I had a girl friend...
.. and I loved her ....
... and I broke up with her
I chased after girls ...
... got chased by girls (and boys sometimes)

There are things on that list that are 'old' problems from the 'olden days' as someone said (like getting a girlfriend), but there are also new things as well that I'm sure people in the past (such as our parents) must have experienced in some different way (getting a driver's license); and then some new things that our parents' generations have never experienced (I can't think of anything; both my parents did a lot of things in their time; but compare my experiences with say... a Korean in the 15th century ... I'm sure he might've travelled around, but never had to get a driver's license - on the other hand, I would'nt have to worry about all the worries of the past such as getting sick and dying from the common cold...).

Enough rambling.

They had their problems to sort through.
We have ours.

[natsukochan]

I'm in my mid 20s, have a doctorate degree, and am a working professional....but I still laugh at potty humor =P

[antypanties]

I feel like I'm 18 because I lack responsibility! Although, last time I checked I was 19. I'm now 22, where has the time gone?!

[Nightmare]

What would be considered immature?

I'm 24 years old. I've just restarted school. So I'm always surrounded by younger people. I'm still somewhat financially dependent on my parents since tuition is coming out straight from my pocket. So yeah, pathetically, I still live with my parent. Personality-wise, I haven't really grown out of my reserved behavior, and I can either be too serious or crazy sometimes. Since I'm super short and the casual way I dress, some people still think I'm in high school. And oddly enough, I'm totally naive about guys.

In some aspects, I'm mature and in others, I'm not.

[lance]

i dont feel or look my age guess thats a good thing, i can be immature at times when i want to, and get serious when the time calls for it, but i prefer not to, why not enjoy life whilst you can right?

[superhumanchichi]

Sometimes I can't believe what goes on in the lives of other people my age (I'm 20). I feel like I live in some sort of bubble sometimes. I was reading about this girl who is 19, not that much younger than me, who is dealing with pregnancy and doesnt know what to do. I know that things like this happen quite often and it disturbs me. Sometimes living in a bubble can be unsettling. I mean I feel so inexperienced and childlike sometimes compared to everyone else. Maybe I'm stuck in a rut and need to shake things up a bit. Every day is the same routine for me. School. Study. Sleep. Life seems so dead to me. And I feel so alone sometimes (I meant that in the least emo way possible). Then I ask myself some questions. What do I think I'm really missing out on? Drinking? Parties? Sex? Are these things that much better than being immature for my age? *shrugs* Just for once in my life I wish I could actually FEEL like I'm 20 instead of feeling like I'm still 10.

[rayna]

I'm 20, I feel like im 30 , oh my!
I got mistaken for a 15 year old one time but that was like 1-2 years ago

I act childish too, i still live with my parents ( don't feel bad! )
i wish i was back in school and not working from 2:30 till 11:00pm at night augh so cold and scary at night, skunks and all.

i have weird aspirations too, ( i wanna be nodame cantible ) i don't practice EVER!
I daydream a lot = writing
i always sleep in. 9-11 hrs of sleep everyday , when i only feel i got 8 XD
I draw on the back of my blue sheet at work , (I also told them I want that back)
i sing random stuff when i get bored (ranges from Disney Movies to Kpop )
i made a ukulele out of an empty rubber box and proceeded to sing "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Mulan in front of my co-worker < Im PROUD of that

And anyways what does it feel to grow old and to mature? I just turned 20 a couple of weeks ago. And I don't feel any different from when I was 19. I still have the same responsibilites and weirdness as I am. Maybe 'maturity' won't hit me until later.

[randomish]

I'm immature... I'm 21 ... but I still enjoy my life... still laugh at the little things... i like it that way... i want to salvage as much as my childhood as possible.

[litoxshortaii]

The way I act toward my future, I think, is more mature than most people my age. The way I act socially would probably be on par with that of someone who is ...15 years old maybe. lol.

[xdanceonx3]

i'm 21 years old now and i still act and feel like a kid O.o i mean i guess im mature in some ways but my behavior is still kiddish. i guess i'm just afraid to grow up, i don't wanna act adult !!

[synergyz]

you never grow up, you only learn how to act in public

[maly&ahpulee]

i just turned 20yrs.
i feel indifferent.
sometimes i think i'm too serious.
sometimes i think i'm too careless.

[ainztan]

I'm 21 but just a few days ago someone asked me to have a guardian with me (well because I will have a facial in a derma clinic) lol. She thought I'm a minor but my friends see me as a serious one and I don't just play around. I'm goal oriented and plans a lot for near future and being totally independent.

[The_Username]

22 here, don't really know if i act immature. I just do what numero uno thinks is right. i create what i act, i use a template of my own creation to try to aspire to.

[rinCode]

I can be mature and serious about things, but most of the time I try to live carefree and not stress myself over anything.... Maybe I'm at a point where I'm too carefree (as this is my 4th year of university, in my third major, still not knowing what I wanna do for a career, and am far from graduating) but I find that being immature and returning to my 10 year old self brings back feelings of being free and helps deal with or rather hide from the stresses of reality and and from my responsibilities.... Some might see it as being irresponsible and immature, but others might see it to be a good thing since stress is a strong determinant of bad health... Then one might see it as a argument between short term gains and long term gains and which is better... Do we live in the moment? Or do we live for a greater cause? And what if we die before fulfilling our long term goals? Is our life wasted? Idk... Everyone has their own story and has their own opinions, which they're entitled to as long as they're able to support it... if you can't justify a belief, educate yourself and find a reason...