Be a Mature Teenager

You can't force maturity, but you can learn it. Maturity involves a totally different mindset. You are still a teenager and may not yet be fully developed enough to cope with maturity. There will be moments of brilliance and clear thinking, but for the most part, you will have to stumble your way through your teenage years.

Steps

  1. Understand why you want to become more mature. The first step to changing any aspect of your lifestyle is understanding why you want to. Do you really want to, or do you think you just have to? If you don't really want to (if you're being forced to by someone), or if you just think you need to but don't really want to do it, you'll never accomplish anything. Trying to impress your peers, parents, or teachers with your maturity is the very essence of immaturity without throwing temper tantrums at all. You need to want to become mature.
    • Think of what will happen if you aren't mature. Will you get a bad grade in science class? Will you be grounded? Will you lose a babysitting job? Think of the consequences of not being mature, and how unhappy you'll be if faced with those consequences. If you cannot think of a reason why you want yourself to be mature, or think of something unpleasant that will happen if you don't, it's extremely hard to stay motivated.

Being socially mature

  1. Use your manners. Say please and thank you. A parent should never have to ask you to use your manners. You should always remember your manners. At the table, put the napkin on your lap, chew with your mouth closed, never reach for food, and always say please and thank you.
  2. Do what an authority figure asks of you. When a parent, teacher, or any adult asks you to do something, always do it. Do it the first time given. Say something like " yes sir or ma'am" or "okay."
  3. Follow all your house rules. They may seem unfair but they are in place to keep you safe. Your parents or guardians have house rules because they love you. Talk to them if the rules seem unfair, but do it nicely.
  4. Know when to say no. If your friends start an activity or a conversation that is judged inappropriate, walk away.

Being emotionally mature

  1. Control your emotions. When you get mad, never swear at anyone. It is uncouth and can offend people. Try to hold your anger in and deal with it constructively later. Swearing will get you in trouble.
    • When you are angry, count from zero to ten, or take a deep breath.
  2. Handle consequences. Don't yell at your parents or the punishment will increase. Just do what you are told and soon enough, it will be over.
  3. Pay attention to your surroundings. Be aware. Look up from that video on your iPod more than five times per hour. Hit the Pause button on your DS and just look at the people around you.

Being intellectually mature

  1. Be responsible. Being responsible means being "able" to "respond" to stimulus. When you're assigned a duty or if you notice something wrong, respond to the situation with a calm mind and with the end in mind. Pick up the clothes on your floor. Wash your dishes after using. Don't reuse the week old socks. Walk the dog. Feed the dog. Study. Get a job. Get more responsibilities. The more you respond, the abler you get.
    • Keep up with all homework. Study for tests in a timely way. Do all your chores without being told. If you have a job, always show up for it.
  2. Choose a good role model to follow. This could be anyone from your mother to your teacher to a sporting or science hero.
  3. Read books. A book is a person's best friend and an invaluable resource. It's never a vacuum and there is always something to learn from it. Reading a book not only makes you wiser, but also adds new words to your vocabulary.
  4. Read up on current issues and events in the newspaper and other legitimate sources. Don't rely on watered-down sound bites from 24 hour news channels and Comedy Central as your source of information on what's happening in the world.
  5. Think twice before doing anything. Whenever you are about to do or say something, take a couple of seconds to think about whether your opinion or what you do will actually contribute to the situation. Don't react immediately and emotionally when you're confronted by a problem, step aside and try to look at the situation from 'above'. Your mind is an amazing tool, however, it needs time to work out solutions.

Presenting yourself maturely

  1. Think about your posture. Mature teenagers don't slouch or drag their feet. Imagine there is a string pulling your head to the sky.
    • Sit up straight. Bad posture doesn't only make you look tired, but it's bad for your back as well.
  2. Consider buying more "grown up" clothing, but only if you want to. Actions speak louder than words and certainly louder than clothing.
    • Be aware that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. You don't need to buy expensive clothes, jewelry and other materialistic things. Remember all your splurge on will not go with you anywhere but your attitude will.
  3. Don't overdo the make up. Wear darker lipstick without gloss and mascara. Darker lipsticks tends to add "age" to the face, and mascara opens the eyes up. maybe you can add a light base powder to your face before hand.

Communicating in a mature manner

  1. Talk in a mature way. Record yourself and a friend having a conversation for 10 minutes or so and then play it back to yourself. Do you hear that?
    • How many times did you squeal?
    • How many times did you use the word "like", or other fillers such as "um" and "ah"?
    • Try talking slower and in a somewhat deeper voice. Try avoiding using words that you use in conversation with your friends. See if you can find words that mean the same, but sound more mature.
    • Try to keep your breathing slow and steady. Don't get too excited while talking; stay focused.
    • Try to have a joyful attitude when you talk. Be serious, but stay happy. Smile every now and then, but not too much.
  2. Use appropriate language, and don't swear. Never use inappropriate words around friends, family, and others. You can get into some big trouble.
  3. Spell properly and write words out clearly. Try not to spell "people" as PPL, or shorthand everything as if you only have three fingers on your hand. If you are unsure about the correct spelling of a word, look it up in the dictionary. Watch your grammar, and don't be afraid to use larger words.

In conclusion

  1. Stop being so concerned about being mature. Yes, this is important enough to be said twice. Mature adult people don't become mature to show off to their friends. They do it because if they don't, they become hungry, lose their house, their car, and their income. Trying to impress your peers with your maturity is the very essence of immaturity.
    • Be yourself. Don't change your innate personality to make others happy.

Tips

  • Never use drugs or drink alcohol.
  • Just because you want your friends to like you doesn't mean you have to change who you really are. If they do not like you for you, they can't be the one you choose to be friends with.
  • Being mature doesn't mean to be serious all the time. Be friendly and kind to the people around you.
  • Don't brag about yourself, because not only will bragging hurt your chances, but the person you brag to will eventually walk away.
  • Being mature doesn't mean to stop having fun. Once in a while you can feel crazy with your closest relationships.
  • It is very important that you interact with people who are on a mission or on a track to do something in life. This way you shall always think about the bigger picture and hence eliminate all those activities, friends, habits that will bring you down. Don't surround yourself with friends who bring you down.
  • Be nicer to your siblings. Constantly fighting with them does not show maturity.
  • Choose your friends wisely.
  • Even mature teens laugh at a time (but not like there's no more tomorrow) and become silly, so don't force yourself to be serious at all times just to look mature. Joy in one's self is also vital. Enjoy your life while you're still young! You would never felt like that again. Maturity is in process, practiced for a long time.
  • You don't always need make up to show maturity. Try natural looks.
  • Act the way you want to be treated. If you want to be treated like an adult act like one.

Warnings

  • Don't be so driven by trying to be mature that you fail to enjoy your youth. You are a teenager, after all. Balancing play and responsibilities is an acquired skill, and it often doesn't show up until you are ready to retire, so don't feel bad if you don't have it down.
  • Don't use words that you don't know how to use properly. It will do the opposite of making you look mature.

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