A new question to ask your mom.

With Mother's Day only a week away, I turn back to the questions that I would like to ask my mom. Today's question is: "When was it that you felt that you were no longer a child?" This is a very deep thought indeed.
I am sure back when my mom was growing up that they had to grow up very fast. They always had chores to do and there wasn't a lot of playing time. I think they went to bed a lot earlier than we do now because of the "NO TV" factor. They had to get up early, so they might as well go to bed the same way.
I know exactly the day that I was no longer a child, a summer day in my 16th year of living. This was the day that my dad died. I have never felt so old so fast in all of my life. I had to be there, not just for my mom, or for my younger brothers and sisters, but my grandmother was living with us at the time and she had as much stress as my mom did, but there was no one for her to lean on. I can remember seeing the strain in this precious woman's eyes knowing she was watching her baby go through so much. To be left with twelve children, all still at home, was more than any one person should have to deal with.
But deal and cope Mom did. Grandma turned out to be a blessing and I helped as much as I could. We made it through and didn't end up with too many scars.
I still can act like a child somedays. I think that is in the nature of all of us. But, for the most part, I think since that day, my childhood became a thing of the past.