There seems to be a common belief among adults that young people need
special treatment because they are young. The general consensus is that youth
are not able or willing to live mature lives because they are not responsible
enough, or not knowledgeable enough, or not experienced enough. This may be
true to some extent, but this state is greatly propagated by the way youth
are treated. Because they are treated like kids, they grow up as kids.
  It is said that if you speak only "baby talk" to a baby, that baby will
never learn to speak like an adult. But if you speak to them as an adult,
they learn much more quickly. Children are more perceptive and quick to pick
up on things than many seem to believe: Say "goo goo gaa gaa" to a baby, and
the baby will soon be saying the same nonsense. Speak a real language to
them, and they will soon be trying to mimic your words, eager to be like you.
Give a 5-year old a calculus textbook to read instead of Dr. Seuss or nursery
rhymes, and they will grow up smarter.
  In much the same way, if a young person does the things they will need to
do in the "real world", they will begin to appreciate and accept a sense of
responsibility and understanding. It is precisely modern society's refusal to
allow young people the life of a normal adult that makes them act like kids.
This has already led to people in their 30s who still act like children,
making some believe that "kids grow up too fast" or that adulthood should be
further delayed, which will only make the problem even worse.
  A person's youth is a preparation for adulthood. Youth is *not* meant to be
a fun, carefree time, because if it is, the young person will grow into a
fun-loving, carefree adult, lacking the resolve necessary to live a healthy,
productive life.
  This is not to say that 3-year old children should be made to become
construction workers or rocket scientists; A person's growth is gradual. But
that precious period of growth must be used wisely. If it is, then when a
person is 12 or 13, beginning to enter puberty and adolescence, he or she
will already be well on their way to becoming a solid, mature adult.