Another belief of mine: that everyone else my age is an adult, whereas I am merely in disguise.

If this was adulthood, the only improvement she could detect in her situation was that now she could eat dessert without eating her vegetables.

We have not passed that subtle line between childhood and adulthood until we move from the passive voice to the active voice - that is, until we have stopped saying, "It got lost," and say, "I lost it."

When they tell you to grow up, they mean stop growing.

We live a protracted adolescence. At some point you must leave the party.

But childhood prolonged cannot remain a fairyland. It becomes a hell.

Being a grown-up means assuming responsibility for yourself, for your children, and - here's the big curve - for your parents.