“Act you age,” my mother said
Clean your room and make your bed
Rake the leaves and mow the lawn
Eat your spinach till it’s gone
Walk the dog and groom the cat
Put away your baseball bat
“Act your age,” my teachers say
First comes work and second play
Write your essay, cite the source,
Do the work or fail the course
Study hard and read all day,
Prepare in every single way
“Act your age,” they all demand
And follow every last command
You're all grown up, so act mature
But all grown up? I'm not so sure
I miss the days of childhood
When evil never conquered good
When storybooks and fairy tales
Of naughty boys and giant whales
And princesses and frogs and kings
And witches doing nasty things
Were all the books I had to read
(not tales of woe and grief and greed)
I miss those days of carefree bliss
When daddy’s hug and mommy’s kiss
Could heal every hurt and then
I’d be off to play again
If “act my age” means giving up
All the things I’ve always loved
Forgetting magic, cheerful thoughts,
To watch as dreams just go to rot
Then I’m afraid I’d rather not