Maturity: the state, fact, or period of being fully developed. This, is the book definition. My definition, however, includes that there are varying forms and levels through which development, both physically and mentally, are expressed. Maturity is something that I have battled with throughout my teenage years; never, mind you, in a straightforward or direct manner. Parts of my struggle have included learning to accept myself the way that I am; wrestling with the notion that others set the boundaries as far as how hard I should work, or how much I should take on; and struggling to find the balance between my obligations and well being. I feel like maturity is often thought of as a singular quality, but I believe that it comes in layers; think of it as a collection of the qualities, actions, and experiences that have enabled you to consider and approach situations in a more reasonable, logical sense.

   When I was six, I thought it would be funny to pour maple syrup on my brother’s scrambled eggs. At age seven, I first grieved. I was nine when I begun to stand up for myself; it was that same year, that things began to change some. It was at age 14 that I started to learn to be less harsh, and more forgiving. Throughout the last 3 years, however; my perspective has been in continuous rotation and my perception and has become much more subject to change.

  Throughout my teenage years, I have learned to accept my reality as it comes. Rather than wishing that I wanted to homework, or expecting that I’d take interest in everything worth studying; I have grown to understand the pertinence of the phrase “do what ya gotta do.” The simple fact of doing homework out of the importance of a letter grade; or working hard because success does not come easily. I learned that perceived success at something gives a person a higher degree of credibility in pointing out its flaws. A phD in Social and Behavioral studies, for example, might be deemed more credible in discussing systemic oppression in the United States than perhaps somebody who dropped out of high school because they found that the education system wasn’t designed to support them.

   Maturity, for me, has been learning to make choices which benefit me, however difficult or inconvenient they may be, in the long run.