Why do people use my age against me?

[Guest Frikkie]

Dear Kaitlyn

I am sure your not stupid, but tell me why would you want to be older than what you are, God intended you to be 13 when you are 13.

Enjoy childhood because the grown-up world is not always a nice place to be in.

I am so sorry to hear you have seen things that someone your age shouldnt have seen, but always remember that God can heal anything.

God bless you

[Guest Frikkie]

Dear Kaitlyn

I am sure your not stupid, but tell me why would you want to be older than what you are, God intended you to be 13 when you are 13.

Enjoy childhood because the grown-up world is not always a nice place to be in.

I am so sorry to hear you have seen things that someone your age shouldnt have seen, but always remember that God can heal anything.

God bless you

[yomotalking]

I had a problem with trying to be older, 2 yeaes ago...I hated it.#

But the pressure to be "cool" and "grownup" is always there,....

[Guest firepaw_1234]

No, It's not that I want to be older, I just don't want people to dismiss my opinions BECAUSE I am 13. I am glad I am 13, I don't want to be any older than 16 (so I can drive, lol).

Kaitlyn

[yomotalking]

I am 13 and I have very very strong opinions and I am far from stupid but people still use my age against me. They say that I haven't been around long enough to know certain things that you learn with experience and age.

When I was 13, I was very ignorant. When you're 13, your understanding of the world is solidly based on what you've learned in school and on television. Most of that is very biased, if not outright propaganda. It's not until you've lived a while in the world, outside of the shelter of parents that you really start to learn how the world works. Still, some people manage to stay as ignorant of the world all their lives as they were when they were 13.

If you're so smart, bide your time and build on what you already have so that one day you will be someone to be reckoned with.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was very ignorant.

The events of last year, and this year, now I'm 14, have forced me to grow up, as I have faced them.

[Dad Ernie]

Greetings Kaitlyn,

Welcome to Worthy! A lot of good posts and hopefully you have been encouraged. My posting probably resembles Deacon's response. My thoughts as I read everyone's posts is that everyone has "opinions", there is no problem with that. My granddaughter has opinions (she's 5), but her experience does not allow her to have realiistic expectations yet. Yes, I have spoiled her, and anything that attracts her, even momentarily, she wants me to buy for her. In her opinion, this would satisfy her. On her last birthday, I took her to the toy store and told her she could have almost any ONE gift, if she would just pick it out. Well, she saw a doll and wanted it, then she saw another toy and wanted it instead, and on and on it went until after about half an hour, when everything was put back in its place, she finally boiled it down to one gift which she just couldn't live without. Life is like that, we run from idea to idea, until we find one that fits in with our way of thinking. But you know what, that toy amused her for a little while, but it was soon replaced with something else.

I was quite worldly wise at 13 and I had reared my brothers and sisters from the time I was 5 until I left home when I was 17. And as I look back at that time which was over 40-50 years ago, I can see how foolish I often was. I really regret most of the things I did. I had been shoved into the responsibility of an adult way too early and I didn't have the benefit of knowledge and understanding that comes with age and experience. Real wisdom comes with experience, that is putting into effect those things which you learn through head knowledge. This is why you may be persecuted for your youth. You just do not have enough years yet to have had many "life experiences". That does not make your opinions any less valid, but you do have to know that with age will come more experience and often more wisdom.

So bide your time, gain wisdom, (the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord), and as you grow and mature, you will gain what you seek after. Approval from people usually only comes after you have demonstrated your accumen over a long period of time. So be blessed and don't take life too hard or too serious, but learn from it.

Blessings,

Dad Ernie

[kodischild]

What you are feeling is common to almost all teens. I felt the exact same way you do now when I was your age. Try not to take it personally. I'm sure when people discount your opinion because of your age it has a lot to with us remembering that we were geniuses at 13, and now we know how much we didn't know then.

[Trust & Obey]

Kaitlyn, it is true that at 13 you are going to think you know much more than you really do. Trust me, when I was 13 I knew everything. Then, somehow as I got older I realized that I don't know everything. I must've had memory loss somewhere down the line

But, people shouldn't use that against you. We are all constantly learning and each of our understandings is continually evolving. No one "knows it all." But, you are at an age where you probably think you know more than you do.

This will continue through your teen years. When you hit, say, 23 or 25 you'll look back and understand.

BTW, I was one of those 13 year olds who "saw more than I should have" and that probably adds to the "I know more than I do" syndrome.

Just be yourself. Don't allow people to despise your youth. Take what people say with a grain of salt and check it against the Word of God. Surround yourself with other people who love God and are living for Him.

[Trust & Obey]

I also think (and this may get me shot) but I think that as people age and grow in knowledge on stuff, they tend to get more prideful. Not everyone, of course. But I run into alot of older people who use their age or "experience" as a point of superiority over others who are younger.

I see that, too. And, I don't think it's just limited to those "older folks."

1Co 8:1 But concerning the sacrifices to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.

[EricH]

Kaitlyn, it is true that at 13 you are going to think you know much more than you really do. Trust me, when I was 13 I knew everything.    Then, somehow as I got older I realized that I don't know everything. I must've had memory loss somewhere down the line 

But, people shouldn't use that against you. We are all constantly learning and each of our understandings is continually evolving. No one "knows it all." But, you are at an age where you probably think you know more than you do.

This will continue through your teen years. When you hit, say, 23 or 25 you'll look back and understand.

BTW, I was one of those 13 year olds who "saw more than I should have" and that probably adds to the "I know more than I do" syndrome.

Just be yourself. Don't allow people to despise your youth. Take what people say with a grain of salt and check it against the Word of God. Surround yourself with other people who love God and are living for Him. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think it was Mark Twain that said when he was a teen his father was the stuppidest person on the face of the earth. Twain said that once he reached his twenties it was amazing how much smarter his father got.