For the vast majority of The Vampire Diaries' run, Elena Gilbert was the show's leading heroine. And for the most part, she played that role well. Despite the fact that she was 17 years old at the start of the series, she managed to survive in a very suddenly dangerous world, and she often seemed to be exceptionally mature and intelligent for her age.
However, although she showed a lot of maturity for a teenage girl who was suddenly faced with life-and-death situations every other day, she was still a teenager, and she acted like one a lot too.
Typical Teenager: At The Cheerleading Competition
To be honest, Elena's initial transition into a vampire really came across as a teenager throwing a fit, but nothing illustrated her childish behavior more than her attitude and actions at the cheerleading competition.
She recklessly fed on another cheerleader, she went full Regina George on Caroline, and she tried to flirt with and seduce Stefan just to get him off her back. It was all a terrible look.
Wise Beyond Her Years: Fighting For Caroline
When Caroline Forbes first became a vampire, pretty much everyone wrote her off. Damon and Stefan seemed to be convinced that there was no hope that she could make it, and Bonnie completely rejected her as a friend.
Elena was really the only person who stuck up for Caroline and convinced everyone that she deserved a chance, and surprisingly, Caroline rose to the occasion and then some, becoming one of the strongest and most well-adjusted vamps in the entire series.
Typical Teenager: When She Chose To Die With Damon
Yes, Elena was super in love with Damon, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't outrageously stupid and selfish of her to decide to ride shotgun when Damon decided to make a suicide run.
Not only is this the kind of Romeo & Juliet idiocy that only teenagers would think was cool, but she was literally putting her bestie Bonnie in serious pain and danger by giving her yet another person she had to unnecessarily resurrect.
Wise Beyond Her Years: Not Fighting The Sleeping Beauty Curse
The curse that Kai put Elena under was entirely unfair, and had Bonnie and the rest of the Mystic Falls gang put a lot of effort into it, they likely could have figured out a loophole (which they obviously eventually did).
However, the mere fact that Elena accepted what was happening to her from the start was incredibly mature and kind. Yes, she loves Bonnie and would sacrifice almost anything for her, but willingly dealing with the fact that she'd lose the life she had for Bonnie's sake was a huge deal.
Typical Teenager: When She Went After Stefan And Klaus
It's entirely understandable why Elena felt the need to go after Stefan when he took off with Klaus Mikaelson for the summer, however it was incredibly childish and dangerous too.
She might not have been wrong that she had the best chance to convince Stefan to return, but not only did Stefan need to stick to his end of the bargain, potentially revealing herself was incredibly risky, and she should have let more supernaturally powerful people try to bring Stefan back.
Wise Beyond Her Years: Saving Matt
Elena never wanted to become a vampire, and when she did become a vampire she absolutely lost it, however her decision to have Stefan save Matt before her was a wise one.
Not only was he one of her best friends, but if Elena remained alive, then the incredibly dangerous suped-up Alaric would continue to pose a threat to everyone. Sometimes Elena is too self-sacrificing, but in this case, she was right.
Typical Teenager: When She Fell In Love With Damon
Although Elena and Damon were a bit of a messy couple, in a lot of ways Elena falling in love with Damon was a normal thing, and even a good thing.
After all, while Elena's feelings for Stefan were very real, it's entirely normal to outgrow teenage love, and it's extremely understandable that she didn't spend her life with someone she fell in love with as a 17-year-old high school junior.
Wise Beyond Her Years: Giving The Cure To Katherine
Elena handled her transition to vampirism horribly, and once she realized that there was a cure out there in the world, she and everyone who loved her was willing to do everything that they could to get it for her.
And although it was a split-second, life-saving decision, Elena's choice to give Katherine the cure and remain a vampire was actually incredibly smart and wise of her, as clearly Katherine was never going to stop tormenting her.
Typical Teenager: When She Acted Like She Should Be The Final Decision-Maker
Elena was certainly a teenager who had more life experience than the average, but to be honest, the fact that she seems to always think that her judgment is the best judgment in the entire Mystic Falls gang despite the fact that she hangs out with people with over a century of life experience is very much like a teenager.
Teenagers always think that they know best and that they can do no wrong, and Elena is exactly the same in that regard.
Wise Beyond Her Years: Sacrificing Herself To Klaus
Being born as a doppelgänger obviously set Elena up for a dangerous, completely unfair life, and it comes as no surprise that so many people wanted to protect her from becoming Klaus's sacrifice.
And while Elena can sometimes overly play the martyr, in this instance she was actually completely right, and it was incredibly brave and mature of her to realize that her life wasn't worth the lives of everyone that she loved.