I think I have heard this phrase from family, teachers, and other older individuals since I was in junior high. At that age, I took schoolwork very seriously and began considering what it would take to get into college. Through high school, I was preparing for college, held a job, and was involved in many extracurricular activities. However, it wasn't just these actions in and of themselves that caused people to say this to me.

It's the way I mentally plan and process things.

I was always the kid that would have rather sat with the parents than the kids. I preferred the company of individuals older than myself because I appreciated advanced, mature conversation even as a child. And now that I'm in college, my lifestyle and future plans took a turn I did not expect that has brought this phrase back into my life.

I don't particularly enjoy going to frat parties and drinking, I don't do drugs, and I don't sleep around.

I often have people give me a hard time for being "pious" or "not very fun," but why would I want to engage in behavior that sure isn't sustainable or helpful to achieving my goals? Additionally, why is the avoidance of unsafe or immature behavior almost discouraged in today's society?

Aside from my current lifestyle, my future plans often come under fire also.

I have been in a serious relationship for over a year now, and we've done long distance for the past school year, only seeing each other every few months. Because I will be graduating at least a year early, and am planning to transfer home for Fall 2019, we've discussed getting engaged this year. I find it ironic how people always insist you're an adult at 18 and need to make your own decisions, but then when you start doing that it often gets mocked. I obviously enjoy having fun, but my fun doesn't involve waking up half-naked in a frat house bathroom. I'm a forward thinker, and I always have goals for the future that my current behaviors adapt to in order to achieve them. I didn't expect to find someone I want to be with the rest of my life this young, but God has blessed me and multiple of my acquaintances (who have many of the same qualities) with that opportunity.

So, stop telling these individuals they're "growing up too fast."

They don't need you to minimize their desires and plans. They don't need you to remind them of their age. They don't need you to scare them, concern them, or make them unsure of themselves. They don't need you to tell them they're "missing out on being young and foolish." What we do need, however, is encouragement, support, and assurance in our decisions, even if it may seem we're growing up too fast.