When Do I Grow Up? – Jordyn Risse

“When you are young they assume you know nothing.” – Taylor Swift

I know that 20 isn’t old. I know that most people perceive me as a teenager. I know that I probably won’t be viewed as a real adult until I’m closer to 30. I know that because I was born after 9/11, some people will always view me as a child. I know that because I lack life experience, I may not be taken as seriously as my older counterparts. But none of that equates to me being uneducated. None of that takes away from the validity of the things that I have done.

I know that I have ideas that are more complex than people expect. I know that I am able to contemplate higher-level ideas and can argue my point confidently. I know that I can be wrong, but I am willing to learn. Learning can make me a better person. I know that I can hold my own in academic conversation as long as I have an understanding of the topic at hand. My whole life I have been academically strong. Not to say that I don’t work hard. Not to say that I don’t take my academics seriously. Not to say that I have never failed. 

Academics don’t usually transfer into real life.

Real life is more than just facts about WWII and the quadratic formula. 

I don’t know how to file my taxes,(I’m honestly not even sure how taxes work…) I don’t know the process of buying a car from a dealership (Facebook Marketplace makes that kind of stuff so much easier). 

Will I ever be able to be independent from my family? (I haven’t for the last 20 years, and deductive reasoning and pattern recognition say that because I haven’t moved out, yet, so far I will not be able to). 

I have never participated in a presidential election, and don’t know as much about politics as I would want to. Does the average American even understand the political system in their own country? Does my vote even count because it isn’t a true democracy? 

But no one asks for my thoughts anyway. No one attempts to answer my questions. Is it because they think I’m too young, or because they themselves truly don’t know either?

 I am always in the dark. Because I am only 20. Because 20 isn’t old. But, then again, old is just a mindset. Being an adult is relative to your mindset. I often find myself looking for an adultier-adult. Someone who is better equipped to handle the emergency in front of me. Because of society, even I assume I know nothing. 

When you are young, they assume you know nothing. Assumptions become a reality, so teach me differently. Assume differently.