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why does everyone i know treat me like a child or if i was a very childlike person??

so this happened to me yesterday, i was hanging out with a few of my relatives and we were doing a lot of stuff and we were having fun but i realized that when my relatives talk to each other they talk like proper adults because well, they are, like, they can swear and stuff, but when i talk to them they are like "yea buddy sure!!" or talk to me like as if i was some sort of young person, and even my friends do that same thing, all of them!!!! it feels like i'm not part of anyone's conversation which sucks but well it's fine!!!

62 comments
  • There are various reasons people may treat you as if you're younger. I would bet the primary reason is no matter how much you think you've grown up, those changes have to be seen outwardly for a while before people that knew you as a kid will accept it. It took until 24 or 25 before I felt people had stopped treating me with kid hands. Keep in mind as well that as people get older, younger people start blending together a bit and a 20 year old does not seem as mature from a 30-40's perspective. It's similar to how younger people often have a hard time telling apart old people's ages and they all seem "old". The final point I'd make is that swearing isn't something all adults do and is not related to maturity. It can be a sign of familiarity between certain people though. Swearing around family members is either something that comes with time or never, really depends on your parents/relatives.

    Trying to push these issues in an "I'm a big boy now!" manner will generally backfire and get you treated young for longer, because it's a very childish thing to do. I am not all-knowing so I don't like giving absolute advice, but personally I think the best thing you can do is not worry so much about it and continue acting in a responsible manner. If you show yourself to be mature, others will realise and treat you as such. If they don't then either you're not as mature as you think or you should find someone who you can have a more level conversation with. It's not so bad being young, anyway, you will miss it when people always look at you like an adult!

  • If you just mean your relatives, it's important to know that what constitutes 'young' changes as you age. As someone in their 30s now, early 20s and below feels young to me personally. If your relatives are much older than you, especially if they saw you growing up, it's likely you'll seem young to them forever. That isn't to say you should be infantilized your whole life, but just that it stems from differences in perception. If you feel like you're being treated lesser than other adults, try to tactfully explain how you feel. Maybe you're feeling excluded and that hurts, or perhaps being called certain things is belittling to you. Ultimately though, the most important thing is that tact, because it's very likely not malicious, your relatives likely aren't trying to make you feel small or invalidated.

    As for anyone else in the street, or perhaps online, there's usually something that makes people naturally assume youth. I don't know what you look like obviously, but online you typically have very little information to work with. Usually just the words that are spoken, and maybe an avatar to go along with it. A number of people have pointed out your typing style already. I won't belabor the point, but I will say first impressions are extremely quick to make, and quite influential. I personally try to talk to anyone with tact and just 'as a person', but it's something I feel doesn't come naturally. I really only ended up doing it because I spent a long time in moderation type roles, having to mediate issues with people and events.

    Tl;Dr: It sucks, but people probably aren't doing it to hurt you. Talk patiently to them, also type more formally.

  • People mature at different rates. There are myriad reasons for this. But it's OK to be a little bit immature for your age. There's no shame in it and it's very common. Being an adult mostly sucks, anyway. You're already aware of it, so that's a good thing. Pay attention to social cues and behaviors of your peers and you'll figure it out.

  • It might be the group. I worked for a place that had The A Team and everyone else. The founders of the company treated everyone else like crap.

62 comments