Allowing Immaturity?

Challenges common to many youth include immaturity.  Today's society is not as hard on children as past generations' has been, and children are allowed to remain children longer and take their time growing up. 

If a child is raised permissively, they may enter adulthood, and still have no idea what it means to be a responsible, decent person.  So, one of our development goals is to become a mature person. 

What is a mature person?  Someone who is capable of taking care of themselves, and others, before they start a family.  A mature person knows what they believe about who they are, and where they came from.  A mature person can make their own decisions, weighing what's best for them, and any others that the decision may impact.  A mature person is not selfish, but shows caring, compassion and understanding for others.  A mature person respects themselves and others and takes care of themselves in the way that they believe is best for them.  

Many young people in today's society are immature.  Their parents may have kept them sheltered from the bad things that they knew growing up and unintentionally fostered an "adult child" mentality in their children which leads to selfishness and entitlement beliefs.  Society only suffers from a bunch of adult children running around fighting with each other over "getting theirs".  By becoming a mature person, we become our best selves, and can be a functional adult for those around us.  Maturing is part of growing up.  We should be a mature adult ourselves before we start bringing our children into the world.  (Children raising children usually doesn't have a good outcome either.)  If we know who we are, and what made us that person, we can more easily navigate our future.  When we can make mature, educated decisions for ourselves and others we will be in a place of authority in our own life, and be ready to make choices that are good for our offspring.  When we overcome being selfish and everything having to be our way, we can learn to compromise and have fulfilling relationships with others.  When we are taking care of ourselves, like our own best parent, we can be confident that we can take care of another person who needs us to care for them. 

Until next time, be gentle with yourselves and others!

Rev. Angelia Schwarz-Coleman, CDCP, PFA II
Minister-Works of Heart Interfaith Ministry
Executive Director-Healing Families' Lives, Inc. 
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