I never understood what 'mature' means. To me it's a horrible word. Can somebody please explain what 'mature' is? Or even better, what is 'mature' according to you?

To mature is to ripen or come of age.
Immaturity is more about believing you were already the centre the universe by being born, and changing (learning) from just being yourself (childish), is something to fight against.

I like that answer. I still wonder why it feels like being mature takes out the fun of being, as in, why isn't it ok to remain childish at times. Or is there an option to be mature and young at heart...

Part of exercising maturity is to write your own rulebook on how to live your life and the decisions you make day to day, but you have to take it all very seriously, yes with good humour, but not with irresponsibility. Part of it is learning the trick to balancing humour/joy with responsibility/accountability. If you juggle it right, you wind up funny, popular, happy, well adjusted, smart, competent, young at heart, you name it.

It's about being the best version of you, using both a good memory, and good foresight. You need a clear perspective for it, no emotional baggage. Decide not to do things that would give you emotional baggage, things like that is mature.

The trick, is that childish peopel can mimick adulthood, easy, but under pressure degenerate and cause more harm than help. Because they're not routinely mature. It's something you have to program into your regular daily routines all the time for it to work for you instinctively and autonomously.

Immature people just want the rewards (authority to run their own lives) without the work (learning how to run your own life without screwing up other people's lives).

When you get it right, you walk around on top of the world no matter what you're doing, feeling like you belong on our kinda pretty cool planet.

maturity is recognizing that is not always about you. Maturity brings consideration and understanding into most of your interactions. It also brings depth of character.

Check the meaning childish in the dictionary

You can be playful and mature which is what you mean

Taking responsibility for your actions is maturity

maturity is balance, a balance in ones capacity to give and receive

a balance or ones attention to not just their own self interests, but the interests of others

a balance of self responsibility in the short term and responsibility towards others in the long term,,,,

ID say, its just the approaching of and sometimes achievement of a BALANCE in ones actions and thoughts