Being nine is a bittersweet time
You're on your way to being the oldest in school
But haven't hit those double digits yet
It's a time when all you want to do is grow up
But you don't realize the easy times you're leaving

It's a goodbye to consequence-free mistakes
And not having to clean the stomach-churning dishes
It's a goodbye to Institute Days when the older kids
Take standardized tests
And simply getting a plus or minus as a grade

With age comes responsibility
Once you turn nine
You can only write in the pointless print we call cursive
And snack-time comes only once a day
It's more than kids realize
Yet for me, there was more

One of my birthday presents when I turned nine
Was a card that told me
I am a big sister now

I studied my cursive
And I scrubbed those dishes with strawberry scented soap
But I also changed those diapers
I woke up in the middle of the night
To shush my screaming sisters
I fed them until they fell asleep
And I burped them when they needed
Every morning I unshoveled the snow off the car
And I packed my own backpack
Nine sure is a hassle

My dreams came true
I had finally turned nine
But for my next birthday
All I wanted was to be little again