<p>I'm fifteen and i felt that i'm mental age is 2-3 years younger than my actual age. I have a few friends who are almosy equally childish as how I was. So when I was with them, we played childish games etc... When I was with some more mature friends, I acted like normal teens at our age. I still like stuff animals and some kid's show. But meanwhile, I read newspaper, global issue, read books that is beyond my age.. I just don't read books that is that most teens like（twilight，for example). My mom is still choosing most of my cloth for me(I don't really mind that). </p>
<p>Many people think I look younger than my age. I was often mistaken as a 8th grader or something.(babyface?)
Is that common, how are you(or your kids) acting like at my age(sophomore)</p>
<p>Sort of…but I tend to act more mature and wiser beyond my age sometimes; but when I am with my friends I joke around and take life lightly. I know what you mean.</p>
<p>I actually think I act mature for my age. As for smarter people acting less mature, I think most of the smart kids at my school act mature. However, the 2nd ranked girl acts like an 8 year old… It’s pretty annoying.</p>
<p>Haha, I don’t think you can just drop out of high school for a year…there’s education laws and that kind of thing. I mean, even if it’s legal, it seems a bit extreme to me.</p>
<p>There’s nothing wrong with being a little “young” for your years, as long as it’s not impacting your social life dramatically. If you want to act a bit more mature, get to know the pop culture of your age group better- movies, books (excluding Twilight, as you mentioned- that kind of screams 11 year old girl), TV, fashion. It’ll give you something to talk about with people your age. </p>
<p>Make new friends. If you feel like your friends are still acting like little kids, try and talk to a couple people who aren’t. And go to summer camp…it’s like a rite of passage. You’re exposed to some pretty adult stuff if you’re living with a bunch of teenagers for a couple of months.</p>
<p>I don’t think there’s necessarily anything wrong with enjoying childish things (I’m a senior often mistaken for being 1 or 2 years older and I still love Disney movies and play with Play-Doh). I think mature people can still enjoy things meant traditionally for much younger people, but maybe not in the same way. (I.E. Play-Doh is not a toy for me, it is stress relief; there’s something very satisfying about being able to squash and pound things when you’re angry) The exception to this rule being Twilight- personally, I don’t see how anyone over the age of like 13 can think those are good books.</p>
<p>There’s also nothing wrong with being friends with people younger than you are. I have a group of friends from band that includes people from all grades, and we all hang out and get along fine. Part of being mature is realizing that simple age doesn’t dictate whether or not someone is friend material. :)</p>
<p>However, being semi-brutally honest, if you are really behind your grade as far as maturity goes, you may have a bit of a difficult time building a social life. There are people I go to school with who still insist on acting like they’re about 13, and they are not exactly well-liked. Thats not to say they don’t have friends, they just have other immature people as friends. </p>
<p>You are just a sophomore though, so I wouldn’t worry too much. People mature at different rates. You could just be taking a little longer. If youre one of the younger people in your grade, youre at an automatic, natural disadvantage. Give yourself some time. Explore your interests. Talk to people in your classes. Next year for sure you’ll mature quite a bit when you start thinking about what you’re looking for in a college, major, etc.</p>