To All of Those Maturing Faster Than Everyone Else...

Hello, my friends, my fellow awkward teens, and the rest of the world...

Growing up is something we've all desperately said we've wanted at some point in our lives.

Whether you were a doe eyed five year old, observing the flock of older kids on their way to school. Or an angsty thirteen year old neck deep into talking back to you're Mom.

Listen, I've been there.

Growing up in a large family-- and especially as the oldest, is a feat I have yet to ask myself how I've survived.

But I have, and under the hardships of strict parenting and constant harassment from younger siblings. I think I've learned a thing or two.

So, to all of those people stuck in their own little world of "I am better than all of you", correct me if I'm wrong...

1. You always wonder if everyone feels the same way...

What if I'm just self centered? What if I'm really just another kid going through awkward existential phases and constant epiphanies on how life should work?

2. Everyone else goes through phases after you.

"I just feel-- I feel so alone-- I just-- Nobody understands me." Says you're friends as you pat them on the back.

Said you like 3 years ago.

This is probably the most aggravating part about being in the mature-but-not-really club. You have to realize telling people that 'they'll get over it" isn't exactly the best option. And growing into the mental stage of your life that you just want to tell everyone their pubescent issues are literally just pubescent issues.

3. You are always "that one friend who everyone goes to.

Oops, you're in the middle of another custody war,

"Don't talk to her, she's stupid."

"No, don't talk to her."

The truth is, if you stopped talking to everyone everyone told you to, you'd probably have no friends.

Not to mention you know everyone's crush.

4. You secretly know that the drama is stupid.

Your friend lets you read over the texting drama that went down last night.

And, oh god are you dying to break into a speech on what both of them did wrong, and narrow out the argument into a rational work of art that somehow links into the picture of society perfectly.

But nope, instead you find yourself stuttering "Why would she do that"'s until they give up.

5. You have your opinions about life figured out. (Kind of maybe I don't know)

More or less.

You probably couldn't have written it down on paper but you think you've officially realized your potential as a motivational speaker.

6. You've given up.

At this point, you're done suffering over the struggles of pretending you care and pretending you don't. And almost drowning in that typhoon of confused people shouting opinions they found on Snapchat.

You've accepted that your teen years will consist of one existential opinion after another and thinking the last one was stupid.

~Madeline, 14