"You're so Immature!"

Do you feel more sophisticated now? Being an outgoing and slightly obnoxious person, I hear this phrase often. Many mature people do.

The majority of people have matured quite well, however, including many outspoken people. Give these people an important decision or a group to lead and you'll receive quality results because they tend to be highly matured people. But in situations where people like to be silly, others will often degrade the loud person by calling them immature in front of a group of other people.

It's something I've never been able to understand, and when it happens to me, I confront the people that say that... and this is how I do it.

I walk straight up to the person and square up with them, giving them my full attention, and ask, "Do you feel better now that you've called me immature?" I continue with, "Does that make you a more sophisticated person-the fact that you've just called me immature? Do you really feel that it's necessary to blow out another person's candle to make your light seem brighter?"

The type of people that cowardly speak up only in crowds but are too afraid to say it when they're alone are the ones that look upon others jealously, wishing they could be that loud person.

Every single time I confront someone about their negative comments towards me or another person that feels like being silly, they ALWAYS back down, turn to the side, divert their eyes away from me and in a hushed tone say, "Well, I just think they're (or "you're") being a little immature, is all."

Yeah, that's what I thought. People like this NEVER have the balls to say it to your face, because the people that would have the guts are the ones that have the guts to throw themselves out there and have some fun-no matter what others say about them.

The problem with the insecure people who call others immature is that they're too afraid to join the other person in their quest for personal freedom and individuality. The biggest reason I've found when asking people why they do that is that they were once in the position and were also called immature for doing the same kind of thing.

My only guess as to why people demean others when those people are having fun is that since they were condemned for doing what it was that they were doing, they've learned that being silly around a group of people is a bad thing.

If you're like me, you're probably wondering, "Fine, what can I do to stop putting me down like this?" There's no need for you to confront others like I have, since I've already told you the main reason that others act the way they do.

You already know now that people who accuse others of being immature have been deprived of being silly, themselves. For you, this means that when others accuse you of being childish or immature, continue what you're doing and casually include that person in your activities. Rarely does the person object and they end up having fun while being part of the activity.

When I've sang around others or made rubber band balls and others have called me immature, I've gone up to that person, putting my arm around them and sang to them, or flung a rubber band at them, only to have them shoot one back at me. One good idea might be to bounce the rubber band ball over to them.

Suggestions would obviously differ based on the activity you're taking part in, but take the initiative in not making that person feel left out. Not only are you helping yourself out by not being insulted, you might even earn a friend.