Youth in The Odyssey

In the time of The Odyssey, it seems that being young is considered differently than in our time. For example, in The Odyssey, Telemachus is counted only as a child. However, from the descriptions of his appearance and actions, he might probably be considered a grown man in the present day. After all, he was commanding the ship and during the beginning, and some of the suitors spoke to him as if he was the same age and had the same experience as them.