Are there benefits to being a late bloomer?

Question:

Are there any actual benefits to being a late bloomer? Because I was a late bloomer, I hated every part of it.

Answer:

When you get to your forties, you will find out that you look younger and healthier than your peers.

Because you sexually mature later, you are able to see the mistakes your peers make and, hopefully, avoid making the same mistakes. You will have learned more by the time you’ve reached the dangerous stages of strong hormones and sexual desire. In the long run, fewer mistakes lead to a happier life.

It isn’t fun to be teased and picked on, but even the hard times teach you valuable lessons. “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Hebrews 12:11). You’ll find that you are tougher than the guys who had an easy life. Difficulties don’t hinder you as much.

This also means you are more sympathetic with others who have it rough in life — that isn’t a bad trait. As a result, you tend to be perceived by others as being more down-to-earth and genuine.