Have you ever wondered why people achieve certain things and reach certain milestones at certain ages? Where did the pressure to have certain things done by a certain age come from and why do people continue to promote this pressure?

Everything from being in your first relationship, getting your driver's license, getting your first job, graduating from college, and etc. are all things that people have an idea of when they should be completed by. If you achieve one of these things (or never achieve one of these things) "too early" or "too late," then people will often judge you. It is unfortunate that society puts so much pressure on young people especially to achieve important milestones at ages that are not always realistic for some people. Pressuring people to achieve milestones when they are not ready is a potentially dangerous and unfortunate thing to do. For example, if someone is uncomfortable driving when they are sixteen, that should be acceptable. Driving is a serious thing that you should only do when you're really ready. However, the peer pressure is so influential at that age that someone may be extremely pressured by their peers and friends to get behind the wheel when they may not truly be ready or mature enough to do so. This can obviously be dangerous and potentially life threatening. If society was more accepting of people waiting a little longer to drive, then that would be a great thing for those who are not comfortable driving at age sixteen. These people should not have to be embarrassed because they are not ready to do something so serious quite yet.

Similarly, people shouldn't be judged on their relationship history either. Some people do not get into romantic relationships in high school (contrary to what teen television dramas and movies say otherwise) and that is perfectly okay. Just because someone hasn't dated a lot of people does not mean that they are a bad person or did anything wrong. Graduating from college in the "normal" four years is another thing that everyone just cannot do and those who cannot shouldn't be judged for it. A lot of things can prevent someone from graduating in four years (some of which are out of the person's control) and that is okay.

It is time to stop forcing these socially accepted deadlines for personal milestones on people. Everyone is different and moves at their own pace. People should not be judged for not doing something they are uncomfortable with even if a lot of other people have already done it. Other cultures and countries have completely different social standards and timelines for when people achieve things. If you accomplish a big milestone a few years after all of your friends do, so what? You should be proud of your achievement no matter what society says.