Childhood Should Not Be Measured by Maturity
Sometimes I hear children described as old beyond their years.
People often mean it as a compliment.
They are responsible.
Helpful.
Reliable.
As a Deaf parent, I have spent time reflecting on how easily maturity can be praised without asking what helped create it in the first place.
Sometimes children grow because they are learning.
Sometimes children grow because they have to.
Those are not always the same thing.
A child may look capable on the outside while carrying responsibilities that feel much bigger than they are.
The adults around them may see strength.
What is harder to see is what that strength may have cost.
The more I reflect on this, the more I believe childhood should not be measured by how much responsibility a child can carry.
No child should have to earn rest through early maturity.
This reflection comes from my perspective as a Deaf parent, shaped by my family, my experiences, and the CODA voices I have listened to over time.
