Growing Up

When did I grow up
(Or have I really ever?)
If I could say a particular year
Which one would it be?
 
It seems like only yesterday
I’d read Dahl and Blyton
Engage in sibling rivalry
Go on Scout Camps
 
I suppose it’s a process
Which happened gradually
Soaking in new information
Becoming more confident.
 
But when did thing start seeming
“babyish”?  When did it become
Improper to watch cartoons?
Or to have bedtime stories?
 
Looking back it seems quite recently
That I was childish
Could I have remained so immature
So late into life?
 
If I could pick an age where I grew up
which one would it be?
Fourteen, when I was able
To take on a paternal role
 
Towards younger pupils?
Fifteen, when I donated all
My Famous Five books
To a local charity shop,
 
Or sixteen, when I started Sixth Form?
I suppose like all stages in life
It’s difficult to pinpoint
Where one era ends and the next begins.
 
MDC