Why Are Teens Treated Like Both Kids and Adults Simultaneously?

When reading this “comic” I found it really interesting how the author McCloud decided to both bold and italicize the words “normal” and “grow out of it” from the line: “It’s considered normal in this society for children to combine words and pictures, so long as they grow out of it” (McCloud 139). This sparked a thought within me; what society deems as “normal” to teach children, and how quickly they’re supposed to “grow out of it”.

I know that many teens and kids share similar experiences with their parents treating  them like a child one moment, and like an adult the next. It is extremely difficult to be expected to act maturely, yet be treated like a small child not worth respect. Just from personal experience, I know many parents and adults that expect their kids to behave like adults, yet they still say, “oh you’re still just a kid”. It can feel very confusing especially as a teenager to be in such a pivotal age where I have many grown up (for lack of a better word) responsibilities, yet am still treated like a child. Independent living is near in the future for people my age, and by not having this maturity recognized, it is very difficult to be prepared for. It is very challenging to go from being treated like a child, to being expected to get a job and provide for oneself.

Going back to the bold and italicized phrases from the quote, another question arose in my mind; when is the right time to “grow out of it”? One major thing that struck me when thinking about this topic was how 18 year olds are adults and are able to vote/have their opinion recognized by the nation. If teenagers are living under the roofs of their parents don’t have their maturity recognized, how are they expected to grow out of their “immaturity” and vote on extremely important topics in such a small period of time? By treating young adults like young children, they will be unprepared for the world, and all the challenges they’ll have to face. If society and peers don’t hit them first,  the toxic cycle of having to be mature, but also being treated like a kid, slap teens with having to “grow out of things”. 

Before I spiral into a fit of rage, I’ll end this rant about how teenagers are treated by adults in society with some of my favorite gifs of some silly pups :)