You’re too young, you don’t know what it’s like to have so much responsibility.
You haven’t dated enough people to know what love is.
If you don’t have premarital sex, you won’t know how to have a healthy sex life with your spouse.
Whichever generation you were born in, you’ve probably heard this at one point or another in your life, and it can be demeaning.
Why? Because age and experience doesn’t necessarily equate to having more wisdom, maturity or knowledge of the different areas of our lives.
If you’ve ever underestimated or put down a person on their abilities and potential based on their age and on where they are in life, you need to monitor your words because it can be detrimental.
Should you be the one on the receiving end of these rude comments, here are some truths to keep in mind so their words don’t discourage you from moving forward.
#1. You can learn from other people’s mistakes.
I’ve seen firsthand what it’s like to be with someone who doesn’t share your morals and beliefs. I’ve also seen what addictions have done to both people in a relationship.
From witnessing how destructive it can be, I’ve learned and am still learning to avoid being in a relationship with people who are bound in that kind of behavior.
You don’t have to take notes the next time your friend makes a mistake and it costs them, but it’s wise to keep them in the back of your mind.
#2. You don’t have to have done it to know that it’s harmful or unhealthy.
You don’t need to have premarital sex to know that it can have damaging effects on your current emotional state and to your future marriage and spouse.
You don’t need to be a certain age to know that murder is wrong and immoral and you certainly don’t need to be in your mid-30s to learn how to take responsibility for your actions and words.
If you’re curious, do your research and make sure you know the pros and cons of doing that from those who have done it already. But don’t think you have to do something to know about the negative effects it can have on a person.
#3. There are so many educational resources.
Tying in to the last thought, there are so many sources and databases in which you can extract information and learn from.
Thanks to advanced technology, but mostly Google really, you can learn about sex, drugs, politics, religion, parenting and more from just typing your question into the search bar and reading relevant articles.
There are a lot of experts and professionals out there that freely lend their expertise to a variety of websites such as parenting, health and religion amongst others.
#4. Each experience is different.
I briefly dated two guys before my now-boyfriend and so I thought I’d be an expert on how to be a part of a couple. But I wasn’t and I was thoroughly caught off guard by how much I didn’t know.
Because every person is different, your experience with them will teach you and expose you to different things about yourself, about your S.O. and about relationships in general.
Same thing goes for sex and for any other area in life. You can have lots of experience as a doctor or a secretary but every company you work for will teach you different skills.
#5. Quality over quantity every time.
It really doesn’t matter how many people you’ve slept with or how many jobs or internships you’ve had in the past. What matters is what you’ve gotten out of them.
If you have a history of being in unhealthy relationships, you’re going to learn about what isn’t a good relationship and what you want the next time around. But when you’re in a healthy relationship, you’ll be able to experience the benefits and it will edify you.
If you’ve interned at multiple companies throughout college or before you got your first job, if you were able to acquire skills through them, it’ll help you out in the long run.
Whereas if you were in an internship that was all about coffee runs, you would’ve gained nothing in skill, knowledge and experience that would help in employment with other companies.
Featured Image: Bigstock
Reflect & Refresh 