Question:
What did I do to deserve this? Late puberty is so horrible. It destroyed my self-esteem and confidence.
Answer:
When puberty comes to a person depends on genetics or some medications will interfere with the progress of puberty. In the case of genetics, that was determined at the time you were conceived. You didn’t do anything to deserve it. It is just what you have to work with. If your late puberty is due to medication, then something needs to be treated. You don’t deserve to need treatment, it is what you have to deal with and when the medication has side effects, then that also is what you deal with.
Self-esteem is just a nice way of saying a person has pride. People should have acceptance of who they are, but personal pride is a dangerous thing.
Confidence is knowing what you can and cannot do. Again, it is a matter of accepting who you are.
It doesn’t matter if everyone around you has rushed into puberty and growth. You will grow. You will mature. While they are dealing with raging hormones at a young age, you will deal with them when you are more mature. You will be less likely to make major mistakes.
Like many young people, you are in a rush to get somewhere, even though you don’t know where you are going yet. There is much to be said about enjoying the journey and being satisfied when a goal is reached. But just because your particular path is a bit longer than other people, it doesn’t mean you are being punished.