Young people sandwiched between childhood and adulthood often rebel when adults treat them like children rather than with the respect that acknowledges their intelligence and potential. Research and theory supporting the view of "infantilizing" adolescents has proliferated. The extent to which modern cultures infantilize youth is evident in comparative studies of pre-industrial societies. In this article, the author discusses the infantilization of young people and the consequences of believing that young people are still children. The author stresses that the salient question for today's society is not how to control and protect young people from themselves. Rather, it is learning how to treat them in ways that respect their intelligence, energy, and potential. (Contains 1 footnote.)