What was the first time you really felt like a grown up (if ever)? A question from the daily writing prompt asks again.
I can’t think of anything to add to the post titled Grown Up that I did last year to this question other than don’t force your children to grow up too early. Let them be kids, and do kids things.
One sweet thing about being grown up. When your children have children, you get to act like a child with them.
When was the first time you really felt like a grown-up (if ever)? – Nice question from the daily prompt.
At 9 years old, a few men walked up to me at my father’s funeral and said, “You’re the man of the house now.” That wasn’t right, and I didn’t feel it. But it was the beginning of growing up at a younger age, from that point I began to feel I was growing up faster.
I had older friends and started to get into grown-up things at a young age. But still, I wasn’t a grown-up. I wasn’t grown up when Mom let me drive before I had my license.
I wasn’t grown up when I started working at a young age. I wasn’t grown up when graduating high school. I wasn’t grown-up in my first year of college or my first professional job in Newspapers.
I started to feel like I was growing up when I got married in my early 20s. When having children several years later the feeling grew stronger. As they grew from infants to young adults in a blink of an eye I still felt there was still room before I was grown up.
I guess it was when my Mother and then Father in-law followed quickly by my Mother in-law all passed, that the mantle of the family was moved to us. Now having grandchildren in recent years I kind of feel like the cycle may be complete.
Now my better half may still dispute this assessment above. For only a year or two ago she got me a sign for my office. It reads – I’m an Adult, but not like a real adult. And yes it’s in bold like that on the sign.
And if this past weekend was any example I probably still have some room to grow. As my better half would add, I’m a perpetual 18-year-old.
