Grow(i)n(g) Up

The day I turned 18,

I announced my independence from my parents.

I’m a grown up, I say to them.

They nod in agreement.

Why not pay for a bill or two?

They ask in negotiation.

So I began to pay for some,

Reluctantly,

But I have a job now

So this is my duty.

I’m a grown up, I tell them,

As my parents whisper family matters.

I have a right to know what’s the chatter.

They agree and begin to tell me

And I learn all of what I never wanted to be

Financial struggles, family fights,

Why my mother can’t sleep in bed at night.

But I am older now, wiser, one might say,

And I get to know the hearsay.

I’m 18 I plead, as I ask my parents for help

Financial struggles, one bill too many i’ve been dealt

I’ve got to pay for school now, all by myself

You’re a grown up, they tell me.

We’ve got our own finances to oversee

I’m only 18, I tell my mom on the phone

As I ask her to come over and help me, I’m all alone

I’m sick with the flu and I could use some TLC

You’re all grown up now, she replies

I don’t understand why you need me?

In this moment it became clear to me

The day I realized I grew up

Was the day I never wanted to be

Anything more than a kid,

With my parents taking care of me.