I'm trying to form a friendship with my older cousins because I've always wanted to be closer to my extended family members, so I've been going to game nights with them for quite a while now, they're on average like 5 years older than me and everytime they always infantilize me, treating me like I'm still 12 years old or some shit, and even though I myself understand that I am immature, I'm not THAT immature, it feels like they see me as a retarded and autistic 9 year old boy that they only invite out of pity. Doesn't help that I grew up as the youngest cousin and that my close family did the same to me all my life since I am the youngest sibling as well and my mom was extremely overprotective and oversheltering with me.

Am I being paranoid and projecting my insecurities or do people really have a hard time accepting that a younger relative is no longer a kid?

Idk if this is important, but for some context: I'm 19 years old, they all have degrees while I never went to college, and I only got my first Job very recently.

Should I just give up trying to befriend them since they will never be able to respect me as an adult human being?

just befriend people your own age/socio economic group. not worth being treated with disrespect.

>>33244188 (OP)
>I'm 19 years old, they all have degrees while I never went to college, and I only got my first Job very recently.
lmao man. you're a baby
i'd infantilize you too. just man up and take it dude, it's just banter. all cousins have a dynamic like this

>>33244226
Ok tranny

>>33244188 (OP)
it's because you do things other people don't do

>>33244725
Way to prove his point. You were born after 2000, you are an infant. Enjoy it, youth doesn't last long.

>>33244188 (OP)
College degree in US means they are blue haired libtard faggots, cousins or not why is it so important to be friends with them? Just make friends at your job like everyone else.

>>33244725
proved my point lmao

wanting to be treated the same as your well educated adult cousins as a 19 year old burger flipping loser is textbook baby behavior. either get your life together or sit there and deal with the banter. wimpy little faggot

>>33244188 (OP)
It's normal to treat younger friends like that, to a degree. Particularly family members, because they watched you grow up.
If you want to be viewed as an equal, you just gotta stand up for yourself. Ask them to chill out. Also, if you ACT like you're one of them, they'll eventually treat you like one of them.
19 is an adult, but there's a massive difference between a 19yo and a 25yo. There's a lot of life experience and independence gained in those years. That's probably the major factor in how they treat you. If you're only just now paying bills, going to uni, getting a job, buying groceries, etc... for the first time, you're a baby in their eyes. Give it a year or two, and the phase will end.

Go record yourself talking and improve on that, because they probably take a hint of how to treat you from some effect you only give from an observers perspective