I am a 21-year-old college student. I work for a transportation company where I am the youngest one in my building. So you can imagine that a lot of the time, at first sight, people would think my maturity level is not the greatest.
That is entirely incorrect.
Due to my past and the way I was raised, I've been told by many people that get to know me, that my maturity goes way past my age. That I present myself very well for someone so young. It's been that way my whole life. So when someone speaks to me as if I am a child, because they are the slightest bit older than me, I take it with a grain of salt.
I'm mature enough to realize that, while they think they can speak to me in such a manner, that I will not allow them to speak to me that way. I work very hard in each of the positions I work in (I work 3 jobs) and with every job, I work to my best ability and beyond to prove that I am capable of the position I work.
Why do people think that maturity has to do with age?
To be truthful, maturity really has to do with your morals. Respect, understanding and the capability to listen to others, are all qualities that are needed for a high maturity level. Having a calm state of mind when dealing with tough situations is another. I've seen way too many people, young and old, that whine and cry whenever things don't go their way. That's not mature. It doesn't matter if you are 14 or 62 if you don't work for what you want, expect it to get handed to you and then complain when things don't go your way, you are immature.
If someone that is of a younger age than you, whether it is a two-year difference or a 15-year difference, is in charge of you, you listen. You respect them and treat them with the same level of respect that they give you. Not only because they are your boss or higher up, but because we are humans and humans deserve to be treated with respect.
At 19 I was given a position where I was in charge of a group of people I worked with. All ranging from 16 to 40. It baffled me that the ones older than me were the ones to disregard any task given. They would ignore my authority and do whatever they thought to be right. Within time, I made my point clear that I was given my position for a reason. I work hard and I know what I'm doing and what my team should be doing to get the job done effectively. If they didn't want to follow that, they could speak with the higher up from me.
The point being is that age has nothing to do with someone's work ethic, maturity level, or even intelligence. It's all in what people take in on their day to day lives. Are there things that 40-year-old's know more about than I do? Absolutely. Are there things that 16-year-old's know more about than I? Yes.
But there are also things that I have more knowledge on then both of those age groups. It's all about experience. And, while an older generation has experienced more, they haven't experienced the same as I. Just like I haven't experienced all the same of that younger than me.
No matter what the age, race, or gender, be mature and respect each other.