"Maturity comes not with age but with the acceptance of responsibility. You are only young once but immaturity can last a lifetime."
- Edwin Louis Cole
The legal age of maturity in my country is 18. That's the age one is assumed to be ready to take on the numerous challenges of life. However, it's not more than what I call it - an assumption.
The journey of life is one where every person's journey is different; our paths are distinct. This is reflected in the way we handle situations that come our way. Afterall, the most accurate measure of maturity is the one which puts our action and inaction towards different circumstances into consideration.
Ageing and maturity comes with expectations. Thus, is an 18 year old boy or girl too young to get married?
I have read on several occasions about an 18 year old girl being given out in marriage. In fact, some of them get bundled into the house of a man old enough to be their grandfather to act as the new bride. Is an 18 year old girl really ready for marriage?
By law, yes. But what about in terms of maturity and standard? Is she ready?
There is a way our life experiences shapes us to some realities. A boy who lost his father at the age of 15 and is forced to take to the streets to fend for his two little brothers and a sick mother will definitely encounter tough challenges that will make him develop some characteristics. Does that mean he is more mature than another 15 year old who grew under the watchful eyes of his parents and gets everything he wants?
When I was an adolescent I watched a lot of foreign movies where kids leave their parent's homes once they turn 18 to start a life of their own choosing. I have to admit it felt so cool. And that's because the system of training here is one where a kid relies on his parents even till mid twenties. Pressure to move out only comes when it's time to get married. Watching that in comparison to our ways here filled me with imaginations. The urge for freedom was apparent.
However, does that make an 18 year old American more mature than an 18 year old Nigerian? No! Both were only acting in conformity to the life pattern they grew up to know and follow.
Anyway, I believe the age of 18 is perfect for announcing adulthood. I wouldn't want a 16 year old kid to see himself as an adult, no matter the life experience he or she may have witnessed.
And it will be criminal to make one wait till 21 before being considered an adult because by then one could easily have completed a university degree.
To round it all up, age matters in terms of maturity. Though maturity is more or less about taking responsibilities, the particular responsibility expected of someone depends a lot on the age that person has attained.
Admittedly, people mature at different pace but the expectations remain the same generally. So, while we have a 30 year old man worried about video games, it doesn't mean all 30 year olds are worried about video games. At the age of 30, there are expected levels of maturity and most people would have attained it.
At that same age, some people will be doing way more while some will be doing ridiculously less. For every rule, there is an exception. These ones are aberrations.
So, as much as I would love to conclude that maturity is independent of age, the fact remains that our age plays a lot of role in our maturity. That's why when someone is acting below his age, it will be concluded that person is immature. It's simply because age dictates some generally expected level of maturity. I rest my case.
