Path to Maturity

After reading some of the ways Gerald Egan describes the transition to maturity in children, I strongly agree with what he says. To me, being able to live in a college environment is my next step toward adult maturity. Easier said then done, this is a large step for a lot of people in this country. We know of people who get to college and go crazy, just because they can. Egan thinks that just following directions isn’t a sign of maturity. Going beyond that, is the real stepping-stone. Actively taking control of all of your actions is where he thinks the maturity comes from. I find this interesting because throughout high school I just tried to get by instead of challenging myself and pushing myself. Though I am not “sorry” I did not do that, who knows where I could have been…

Another topic that Egan touches on is dependency. Maturity is like riding a bike. You start with training wheels to help you learn and guide you. You learn how to ride a bike with the training wheels as your safety net, then you take them off and you’re alone. Teachers, parents, and friends are all there to help you succeed when you are finally on your own. Then, it is only up to yourself if you can succeed. My parents really helped me with independency. You really cannot realize how dependent you are until your parents stop doing things. For example doing my own laundry may sound very small and something you take for granted, but that is something that I dread doing every time it needs to be done. Them just making me do those little things and not paying for my stuff, taught me to be self reliant and gave me good work ethic in the workplace to be able to have money for things I want.

Lastly he talked about how kids need to widen behaviors and learn diverse ways to handle life’s situations. I think this is very important because as a child your parents try to teach you how to act appropriately when it may be easier to act the way you want, but in reality you need to grow up and handle yourself. I find this in my life when I seeing myself react more maturely to situations I would have found myself dying of laughter a couple of years ago. Being an adult comes with acting like one and knowing when it is appropriate to act in a certain way.

At Sycamore, one of their cliché mottos is “freedom with responsibility”. They really think they give us freedom when to them it means driving to and from school. Through the four years I have been there, I’ve seen multiple rule changes hampering our freedom when we are at school. Obviously it is a school and they will do whatever they want. Though in the classroom, I have learned a lot about preparation and organization that is important in the real world. So I don’t think that Sycamore gives me the same opportunity to mature like Egan has described. That is unfortunate, but I am ok with it.