Publisher's Synopsis
Although watching their children grow up is scary for many parents, most children "can't wait to get grown." They eagerly anticipate their independence so they can experience life on their own terms. Very seldom, however, do these children consider the inherent hiccups that occur with growing up, and often they don't fully understand just what it means to "get grown." They assume adulthood, i.e. being grown, simply means turning 18 and saying, "I'm grown." They think doing grown-up things is the same as being grown! Real grown people, however, know that adulthood isn't as easy as it seems because being grown removes the safety net that our parents placed beneath us and places the full weight of financial and social responsibility on our shoulders. I wish I had a dime for every student who came back and said they wish they could "go back and be a child again" because being grown "is too hard." I'd be rich by now. Being grown means you have a home and an address separate from your parents. Being grown means your bills are in your own name, and you are responsible for paying those bills -- or suffering the consequences when you don't. Being grown is not a state of mind; it is a state of action.
