anyone feel like they matured in reverse?

does anyone else...

when i was a kid, i used to get called "mature" all the time as a compliment. i wasn't allowed on the internet a lot, and i mostly read books and spoke to my parents, or people my parents' age.

i didn't really have a lot of normal interests for my age. i got called an "old soul." my speech was very stilted and formal. that made it hard to connect with other kids, on the rare occasions i got to talk to them.

now that i'm in college, i find it switched. although i maintain awkwardly stiff speech, i have no life experiences. i don't know anything. all these small talk rules, eye contact rules, the quick wit and jokes other people have, it's all lost on me. i feel like a stupid little kid, like my development got swapped around. feels like trying to blend in with my arms got stitched on in the wrong directions. i can see it on people's faces when i say the wrong thing and i'd rather be punched

i don't know. it sucks. i spent my whole life feeling eighty and now i feel eight again. does anyone relate?

Posted Mar 8, 2026, 6:02 PM UTC

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