I was always that child who they praised for being mature and well behaved. Whenever I hear anyone say tell mom how mature and well behaved I was always proud, I'd wear the compliment like a badge, but now I wish I didn't.
Hi, I'm Abeegail, welcome to my blog, I'm a teen who grew up way too fast and wonders where her childhood went. When I heard the phrase "overdeveloped kids makes underdeveloped adults" from my favourite poet— korijanes on tiktok, I felt like a knife stabbed right through my heart, I've never heard a sentence that described me so well. I was an overdeveloped kid, the one that was mature, that knew when her presence was not need, that always knew the right words to say to fuel an adult's ego. The child that had to cater to the emotional well being of a grown up. I thought being mature was a game and was determined to win. I suppressed my inner child, I shut her eyes, plugged her ears and clamped my hands over her mouth.
Overdeveloped kids are robbed of being kids, they are smart beyond their age, so grown ups think they are adults too and start treating them like one. Kids can be overdeveloped in different aspects. Some are way too smart; either book smart or emotionally aware, for their age. When adults see these qualities, they tend to go into overdrive and push these kids forgetting that they are meant to be kids, to be confused, to learn on their own, to make mistakes, to play and make friends. They push the expectations of them carrying responsibility that they are not supposed to.
"You are meant to skip the mess."
"You are meant to be the mature and responsible one"
"You are supposed to know better."
When you treat a child like an adult for long enough, they stop being a child but they don’t truly become an adult either. Instead, they grow into adults who are brilliant in one aspect but hollow in others. They may be able to solve complex problems but can't regulate their emotions and their feelings. Some become adults but never really stop being kids too and it makes it hard to function in an adults world.
Children should be nurtured and encouraged but not stopped from being kids. They shouldn't be burden with responsibility that aren't theirs. They should have time to grow, to make mistakes, to cry, to fail and discover themselves. If you fall in this category, it's not to late to re-parent yourself, give yourself permission to be messy, to make mistakes without shame.
It's Abeegail ✨💗
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