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I've been in multiple situations where I feel like my age (early teens) or my height didn't really serve me well, whether in how the other person spoke with me (by which I mean attitude/tone), whether they followed up with me, or whether they actually listened to what I was saying.

I try to be mature in such conversations, and I dress respectably.

  1. How can you tell in such situations if it really is you (you're not acting maturely enough, or looking put together enough, etc)?
  2. When it isn't you, how can you get adults to take one seriously?
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closed as too broad by Passerby, Vylix, Bradley Wilson, Joe S, Catija♦ Aug 8 '17 at 13:26

Please edit the question to limit it to a specific problem with enough detail to identify an adequate answer. Avoid asking multiple distinct questions at once. See the How to Ask page for help clarifying this question. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.

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    Related: interpersonal.stackexchange.com/questions/869/… – Vylix Aug 8 '17 at 1:53
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    Please provide where you are from, and who you are dealing with. – Vylix Aug 8 '17 at 1:53
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    I've voted to close this question as too broad because it needs additional details to be answerable. Please add a specific example of a time this happened to your question. Also, where you are and about your age. We all assume anyone here is 13 or higher because that's required to have an account but "kid" isn't too descriptive. editing you question will put it in the reopen queue. – Catija♦ Aug 8 '17 at 13:30
  • @Vylix I'm from the U.S., am a younger teenager, and am dealing with adults. – heather Aug 8 '17 at 15:15
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    Can you please provide an example of a specific case where an adult didn't listen to you, as well as what culture you are in in this situation? – Arwen Undómiel Aug 8 '17 at 15:47
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I doubt there's a one size fits all answer here, but I would guess that being consistent helps. As in being consistently mature around said adults.

If one day you're mature and the next day you're not, adults will tend to error on the side of caution and treat you like a kid.

Beyond that there isn't really much you can do. People vary pretty widely, some adults are better at dealing with younger people than others.

I would caution you on wanting to grow up too fast though... I remember being an angsty teen, all I wanted was to be an adult, or at least be treated like one. Now I am an adult and I realize that it isn't as great as I thought it would be. People still tell me what to do, I still have to follow rules that don't make sense, and on top of that I have to go to work and pay bills...

Enjoy being a kid while it lasts. Adults are still crappy to other adults, sometimes much more so.

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    While your advice (of enjoying being a kid) is meant well, it's not really an answer to the question. If you leave out that advice, your answer boils down to trying to be consistent. Perhaps you could flesh it out a bit? – SQB Aug 8 '17 at 7:16
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As a teenager, I have had a more recent experience of being a kid...

In my culture, children must not take part in adults discussions, as it shows them as acting too grown up at their age, like a prematurely-ripened fruit. In fact, I tried to go against this rule, but over time I realised that the adults listened to me a lot more when I talked less, and spoke only important things to them.

As for your question on how to tell if it's really you who's acting childish, your close friends are generally the best judge, as they know you pretty well. But as a rule of thumb, always put your hands behind your back, and speak at an audible volume that's not too loud, but not too soft either, remaining polite at all times. Keep in mind that adults generally trust no one's decision except their own, and knowing that, be persuasive, not aggressive in your tone.

And, when you are a hundred and ten percent sure that it really isn't you acting funny, but an adult is still not taking you seriously, tell them what you came to say once again, with a slight firmness, and see if they're convinced. If they're still not taking you seriously, and the matter is truly serious, possibly take it to a higher authority.

I've tried to answer in a way which would help 'kids' in general, it would still be important to know where you are from, as people from the respective place could give you better insight.

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