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The older we get, the more life experience we pick up along the way. We learn new things, meet different people, travel, make mistakes, and hopefully take something valuable from them. With every new lesson, we should, in theory, become a little wiser and more responsible. In reality, though, someone’s age doesn’t always say much about their maturity.
One Redditor recently asked users to share the signs that scream someone is an adult who still hasn’t grown up, and they had plenty of examples. We’ve rounded up some of their best responses below. Scroll down to read them and see how many you recognize.
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#1
Not being able to handle your emotions. If you're angry and frustrated and your response is to start screaming in the face of others then you are essentially a giant toddler.
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#2
Posting your drama publicly on social media!
StrangeOne 1 hour ago
I hardly post anything anymore. I've come to realize it's become a tool for the narcissists in my life to keep tabs on me.
#3
Taking any actions to make their vehicle louder. Ridiculously loud exhaust should be the realm of high schoolers. If you're in your 30s and your car still wakes people up when you drive around their neighborhood, it's time to grow up.
StrangeOne 41 minutes ago
Same with subs in the car. Your car sounds like a 100 elephants farting and no one can hear the rest of the instruments playing, let alone make out what you're listening to. Sometimes the frequency register is enough to make your head feel like it's imploding and your eyes are about to burst. At those levels, it's now a sound a*****t weapon that should be highly illegal to be in the hands of regular folks.
#5
Being told to respect a simple boundary, but has a meltdown to instantly victimize themselves instead of respecting said boundary.
#7
Still bragging/thinking its cool how much booze they or someone they know can drink.
#8
Zero accountability. Refusing to admit when you are wrong. This weird endless victim mentality, constantly shifting the blame to others. An inability to handle criticism, getting defensive all the time.
#9
Insulting a strangers looks, in general, but doing it to get others to laugh is so immature and embarrassing for an adult.
#10
To those saying that being into Pokémon in your 30s is a sign of immaturity: I’m a self-sufficient adult with a well-paying job, a great financial situation and a partner as well. I also have emotional intelligence and good health. Having a “childish” hobby ≠ neglecting your adult life.
#11
Men that say they hate vegetables, this screams manchild that only eats nuggets with every fiber of their body.
#12
Judging other adults for the things they enjoy
This isn’t a dig at you OP, but I’d rather spend time with another adult who watches Adventure Time, plays video games, and just does what’s fun than one who thinks those things are immature and only for children.
#13
Sounds cliche but not fulfilling your responsibilities. Not cleaning up after yourself, won’t do any cooking, is unreliable for work, neglecting your pets and or kids, etc etc.
#14
Unnecessary (aggressive) shouting
shouting at someone when they don't get their way
shouting at someone who's disagreeing with them
just shows that they are a baby who gets people to coddle them by throwing tantrums.
#17
I’m going to put myself on blast and not being emotionally mature during conflicts. When I would get upset I would shut down and just not talk. I needed time to process things but my husband shot that down real quick. Said if you want to process that’s fine but we need to communicate and get through things together.
I realized as an adult I was copying my mom’s way of handling situations which was basically giving everyone the silent treatment as a punishment. She still gives my dad the silent treatment and won’t talk to him for days. As a kid, being ignored by your parent is effed. But growing up with that you don’t realize how wrong it is until an emotionally mature adult points it out. .
StrangeOne 1 hour ago
Another perspective of this is childhood trauma. Not being shown or allowed to ever express "negative emotions", not allowed to cry or call out someone's faults. Sure, you're an adult now. But your childhood is the first steps, baseline of your life. It's supposed to shape who you become. If you're restricted, a****d, neglected in any way, shape or form during childhood, those areas of development and growth are going to be delayed.
#19
Taylor Swift fans. I'm not dissing her specifically - she's talented but the hardcore, Taylor is my life kind of fan is ridiculous if you're over 18. When you're 12 it's kinda cute but when you're legally allowed to drive and join the military, that level of fandom is stupid.
#20
Complaining about having lost a popularity contest six years ago.
#21
When the mother still does their laundry.
StrangeOne 1 hour ago
Let your mothers retire from parenting you adults, if and when possible.
#22
I’m a dentist. We once had a woman call to make a new patient appointment for her son. Her son was 43 years old.
StrangeOne 1 hour ago
What if her son has a disability? I make some new patient appts. for my daughter sometimes. But I'm also working with her on being able to do it on her own. Some receptionists just aren't that patient with her, though.
#24
When they have no sense of finances and don't want to know where or how food gets to the table.
#25
Treating kindness as weakness while believing respect should be earned only through fear or intimidation never ends well.
#30
Idk but it is annoying if someone with a trust fund and/or rich parents expects everyone else to be as well off or even as adjusted as them. I am responsible for myself but dawg I can't just go to Coachella with you.
#31
The "adult" of the 19th and 20th centuries is a historical relic.
That older model of the "independent, self-supporting, career-driven adult" was a product of a specific, younger phase of capital accumulation. Expecting modern people to live up to that standard today when the law of value has collapsed, the state is running on trillion-dollar credit cards and stable wage-labor is being phased out is pure ideological delusion.
The people on Reddit are blaming themselves and each other for "failing to grow up," when they should be pointing their fingers at the state-managed zombie system that has robbed them of their time, their labor's value and their future.
#32
Having their parents get involved into a argument because they feel attacked but just not wanting to fix the problem.
#33
Drinking hard on weeknights.
#34
When they don't actually accept accountability for their actions, even if they apologize for it.
#35
Still acting the same way they did in high school despite nearly being 30
My former friend is this way, hasn't changed a bit since high school from the recent stories I've heard. Still acts like he's the main character of life, still treats people bad if he doesn't think they're of use to him. Still tries to pick fights with strangers because he thinks they're not acting in the way he wants them to. The people who still choose to speak with him are starting to get tired of it.
#37
Oh lord. I have a former friend who grew up with 2 older brothers and her mom did everything for them into adulthood (cooking, cleaning, just never really bothered to teach them the basics). So the woman I knew is now over 40, her car is constantly full of dirty laundry and trash. All 3 siblings live with their parents despite all being between 40 and 50. She used to brag that they wouldn't fill the tanks in their vehicles so if their dad borrowed them, he'd have to fill them up. She has a young kid who she just leaves with the parents and lives her life as if she's child free most of the time. I don't think this poor kid will ever learn the basics either. There's so much more that I won't list but I grew up close to the family and they were seemingly normal but something is wrong when none of your 3 kids ever move out of the house.
#38
Hanging out with much younger peers and not outgrowing the gossip & drama. Just an inability to move on to the next stage of life. Also clinging to an enabling parent and being unable to begin learning how to think for themselves because they stay enmeshed with said parent.
#39
Kardashian fans, they're stuck in the brain of a 13 year old girl who thinks the way the Kardashians live is a valid life goal.
#40
You drive a car that makes loud noise for no reason.
#41
Having your parents monitor your bank account at age 30.
StrangeOne 48 minutes ago
I don't think any one in their right minds willingly allow their parents to do this. If you do have overbearing, controlling parents like this, remind yourself you are an adult with the same rights to confidentiality as everyone else. Unfortunately, where I am it is not illegal for parents to use coercion to manipulate you into handing them your banking info.
#42
Having a roommate.
Hear me out - first of all, I disagree with this idea that having a roommate means you haven't grown up. However, I am in the process of buying my first home and going to live alone for the first time in my life. The amount of times I have heard "you're finally becoming an adult" when I tell people I'm getting my own place has surprised me. I didn't realize people thought that living alone was part of adulthood. Did no one watch Golden Girls?
StrangeOne 46 minutes ago
People have said that to me when I got my first full time job, bought furniture, moved from a s****y apartment to a more decent apartment, went on my first solo international flight that I planned on my own, etc.
#43
I’m probably in the minority here, but people who make a production of their birthday. If you have a birthday week or have a list of things you want, you are a child.
StrangeOne 44 minutes ago
I think birthdays are worth celebrating. It can be a celebration that you're still alive and well.
#46
People who are absolutely closed to trying new foods, who refuse to eat vegetables, who make a huge fuss about food others have made for them... Or worst, who make it seem like foods they don't like are disgusting. .
Elladine DesIsles 1 minute ago
*Neurotypical* people who do this. Sensory issues with food are no joke, and don't simply resolve with maturity.
#48
Still using the word "adulting" past the age of thirty.
You are not adulting. You *are* an adult. Using words that makes you sound like two eight year olds in a trench coat isn't going to make forever young.
#50
This is one that’s been really frustrating the hell out of me lately but like.
Lack of cleanliness! But the specific kind of ‘I see when thing need cleaned. My eyes work. But instead of having the wherewithal to say ‘oh. This needs cleaned. I’m right here and capable of cleaning said thing. Therefore, I will clean said thing’., they just leave it until either somebody else specifically tells them to clean it, or somebody else does it instead.
#51
When you were the party animal among your friends in your early 20’s, and now you are still the one getting drunk 10’years later and your friends have jobs and relationships .
#52
Pick any person 100% engrossed in a religion. They never learned how to think like a grown up.
#53
Throwing fits when something doesn't go their way. It's easy to tell who grew up with parents that always gave them what they want, just so that they didn't have to hear them whine.
#54
Not being able to wake up at an appropriate hour and get to places on time. Literally the most basic of responsibilities.
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