Maturity isn't a Milestone

I don't really think maturity is a fixed goal, but rather a continuous process.  People don't automatically become mature as adults, and sometimes children develop certain aspects of maturity more deeply than the adults in their lives.  And people don't ever really reach a point of being perfectly mature about everything.  Also, even if someone displays great maturity in some areas, they may not have even close to that level of maturity in others.

To me, maturity isn't about passing all these arbitrary milestones like having a car, marrying, owning a house, or whatever.  Those are life events, not maturity.  They can be done by mature and immature people alike.  Maturity is about how a person interacts with and relates to other people.  Maturity is being able to assert your own thoughts and opinions, and being able to listen to the thoughts and opinions of others.  It's about knowing when to ask for help, knowing how to work constructively with others, how to handle conflict, and how to assert your own boundaries.  It's about knowing how to work best with your personal inclinations, rather than against them. It's about taking an interest in and understanding viewpoints besides your own. It's about being able to take responsibility for your actions, and not beating yourself up too much for your mistakes. 

It's hard!  But it's also such a worthwhile trait to try to develop.  That's how I feel, anyway.