Maturity comes with age but age does not insure maturity. Maturity and "getting older" are not synonymous. There are a lot of very immature thirty, forty and fifty year old people. There are also very mature young people. We characterize someone as being mature when they exercise a certain level of self-control and self-discipline. We don't typically refer to a small child throwing a tantrum in the aisles of a grocery story as being "mature", not due to their age but due to their lack of self control in that moment. In that moment, all that matters to the child is themselves. They are selfish. In contrast, we refer to a person who is going through an adverse situation as being mature as they handle the difficult situation with patience and grace. It isn't their age or the level of difficulty that dictates their attitude, but their ability to look at the big picture and not their own discomfort in that moment that makes them mature. Self-control and self-discipline are a sign of selflessness. When we look at others as equal to or more valuable than we are and that our issues or current circumstances are not as important or valuable as we deem them to be, we will act with more self-control and self-discipline.
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