32+ Profound And Emotional Growing Up Poems

Growing up is a universal journey filled with both wonders and challenges, and many famous poets have long been captivated by this theme. These profound and emotional growing up poems below capture the essence of this journey, offering insight into the emotions, thoughts, and transformations that occur during this stage of life.

Growing up can be a transformative experience, filled with challenges and growth. And poems let you explore the complexities of adolescence, as young individuals navigate their way through the trials and tribulations of self-discovery. The themes within these poems may include the search for identity, the longing for independence, and the bittersweet nature of leaving childhood behind. In these poems, language is used to evoke images, feelings, and memories, enabling the reader to connect with the experiences being depicted. The beauty of growing up poems lies in their ability to capture the universal truths of this stage of life, resonating with readers of all ages. They provide solace and validation to those going through their own journey of growing up, as well as offering insights and understanding to older readers looking back on this formative time in their lives.

Overall, these growing up poems give voice to the myriad of emotions felt: the excitement, the confusion, the fear, and the sense of possibility that accompanies this period of transition. They remind us of the enduring spirit of youth, the importance of holding onto dreams, and the wisdom that parents impart as they guide their children through the ups and downs of life.

1, Growing Up © DeLinks Comedy

Growing up
We sang parents listen to your children
We are the leaders of tomorrow….
Apparently it is a tale of sorrow

2, Growing Up © Al Schirmacher

I am five
telling my mom
what I’m going
to be when
I grow up
I am fifteen
a lost freshman
gradually learning
what life will be like
when I grow up
I am twenty-five
beginning to learn
about marriage &
about kids as
I (hah!) grow up
I am thirty-five
well into career
well into family
but struggling a bit
with this growing up
I am forty-five
finally doing what
I said I would
be doing for God
when I grew up
I am fifty-five
beginning to realize
there’s more time
behind than ahead
maybe I’m grown up
I will be sixty-five
this year a classic
time to retire but
I’m just hitting my
growing up stride

3, Growing Up © Banel_M

I don’t know which game this life is playing,
But I don’t want to be part of it,
I’m tired of hurting & bruising,
I don’t want to be no grown up,
Take me back to when I was young,
Take me back to when I was clueless about life,
Take me back to paradise,
The world is getting heavy on my shoulder,
People keep getting colder & colder,
As I’m getting older & older,
I realise how hard it is being a grown up.

4, As I Watch You Grow © Kay Theese

Do you know how much you mean to me?
As you grow into what you will be.
You came from within, from just beneath my heart.
It’s there you’ll always be, though your own life will now start.
You’re growing so fast it sends me awhirl,
With misty eyes I ask, where’s my little girl?
I know sometimes to you I seem harsh and so unfair,
But one day you will see, I taught you well because I care.
The next few years will so quickly fly,
With laughter and joy, mixed with a few tears to cry.
As you begin your growth to womanhood, this fact you must know,
You’ll always be my source of pride, no matter where you go.
You must stand up tall and proud, within you feel no fear,
For all your dreams and goals sit before you very near.
With God’s love in your heart and the world by its tail,
You’ll always be my winner, and victory will prevail.
For you this poem was written, with help from above,
To tell you in a rhythm of your Mother’s heartfelt love!

5, You Were Born with Potential © Rumi

You were born with potential.
You were born with goodness and trust.
You were born with ideals and dreams.
You were born with greatness.
You were born with wings.
You are not meant for crawling, so don’t.
You have wings.
Learn to use them and fly.

6, The Voice © Shel Silverstein

There is a voice inside of you
that whispers all day long,
‘I feel that this is right for me,
I know that this is wrong.’
No teacher, preacher, parent, friend
or wise man can decide
what’s right for you – just listen to
the voice that speaks inside.

7, Grown Up © Edgar Allan Guest

Last year he wanted building blocks,
And picture books and toys,
A saddle horse that gayly rocks,
And games for little boys.
But now he’s big and all that stuff
His whim no longer suits;
He tells us that he’s old enough
To ask for rubber boots.
Last year whatever Santa brought
Delighted him to own;
He never gave his wants a thought
Nor made his wishes known.
But now he says he wants a gun,
The kind that really shoots,
And I’m confronted with a son
Demanding rubber boots.
The baby that we used to know
Has somehow slipped away,
And when or where he chanced to go
Not one of us can say.
But here’s a helter-skelter lad
That to me nightly scoots
And boldly wishes that he had
A pair of rubber boots.
I’ll bet old Santa Claus will sigh
When down our flue he comes,
And seeks the babe that used to lie
And suck his tiny thumbs,
And finds within that little bed
A grown up boy who hoots
At building blocks, and wants instead
A pair of rubber boots.

8, Growing Up © Sebastian Gold

I am my fathers daugher.
Now my heart is aching,
Now do you miss me?
Now do you feel the heartache
For the things that were not said?
Shall i see a new perspective,
If the things were different?
How are things on your side?
Do you take pride
In the words that were said?
I am my mothers daugher
Im not prepared for slaugher
For slander or for worse
For better or the worst
As i sit here
By the willow tree
I stand by my words or greed

9, Solace © Ruby Archer

Though Life will rob me of my childhood days,
And hedge a way for free, unbidden feet,
It cannot steal my childhood thoughts and lays,
Nor break the spell that lets me hear the beat
Of Nature’s heart, and catch her whisper sweet.

10, The Scholar © Annette Wynne

When I was ignorant and small
I used to have great fun all day,
But now that I am wise and tall
I must pretend I never play;
And so whenever people look
I keep my eyes tight on my book.

11, Looking Forward © Robert Louis Stevenson

When I am grown to man’s estate
I shall be very proud and great,
And tell the other girls and boys
Not to meddle with my toys.

12, Sweet Are the Flowers of Life © Louisa May Alcott

Sweet are the flowers of life,
Swept o’er my happy days at home;
Sweet are the flowers of life
When I was a little child.

Sweet are the flowers of life
That I spent with my father at home;
Sweet are the flowers of life
When children played about the house.

Sweet are the flowers of life
When the lamps are lighted at night;
Sweet are the flowers of life
When the flowers of summer bloomed.

Sweet are the flowers of life
Dead with the snows of winter;
Sweet are the flowers of life
When the days of spring come on.

13, Days of My Youth © St. George Tucker

Days of my youth,
Ye have glided away;
Hairs of my youth,
Ye are frosted and gray;
Eyes of my youth,
Your keen sight is no more;
Cheeks of my youth,
Ye are furrowed all o’er;
Strength of my youth,
All your vigor is gone;
Thoughts of my youth,
Your gay visions are flown.

Days of my youth,
I wish not your recall;
Hairs of my youth,
I ’m content ye should fall;
Eyes of my youth,
You much evil have seen;
Cheeks of my youth,
Bathed in tears have you been;
Thoughts of my youth,
You have led me astray;
Strength of my youth,
Why lament your decay?

Days of my age,
Ye will shortly be past;
Pains of my age,
Yet awhile ye can last;
Joys of my age,
In true wisdom delight;
Eyes of my age,
Be religion your light;
Thoughts of my age,
Dread ye not the cold sod;
Hopes of my age,
Be ye fixed on your God.

14, When the First Teeth Go © Amos Russel Wells

It is infancy’s old age
When the first teeth go;
It’s the turning of the page
When the first teeth go;
It’s farewell to merry youth
With its innocence and truth,
With its tenderness and ruth,
When the first teeth go.
There are novelties of pain
When the first teeth go;
Quick to lose and slow to gain,
When the first teeth go;
Ugly vacancies appear,
New and lisping tones we bear
‘Tis a most erratic year
When the first teeth go.
Ah, the sober thoughts we think
When their first teeth go,
And the rising tears we wink
When their first teeth go!
For the coming teeth must chew
Many meals of bitter rue,
And their sorrows come in view
As their first teeth go.
Yes, but grand teeth come instead,
When the first teeth go,
Strong for meat and white for bread,
When the first teeth go;
Though the crust is hard and dry,
Health and power in it lie,
And there’s better by and by;
Let the first teeth go!

15, Childish Griefs © Emily Dickinson

Softened by Time’s consummate plush,
How sleek the woe appears
That threatened childhood’s citadel
And undermined the years!
Bisected now by bleaker griefs,
We envy the despair
That devastated childhood’s realm,
So easy to repair.

16, Making a Man © Nixon Waterman

Hurry the baby as fast as you can,
Hurry him, worry him, making him a man.
Off with his baby clothes, get him in pants,
Feed him on brain foods and make him advance.
Hustle him, soon as he’s able to walk,
Into a grammar school; cram him with talk.
Fill his poor head full of figures and facts,
Keep on a-jamming them in till it cracks.
Once boys grew up at a rational rate,
Now we develop a man while you wait,
Rush him through college, compel him to grab
Of every known subject a dip or a dab.
Get him in business and after the cash,
All by the time he can grow a mustache.
Let him forget he was ever a boy,
Make gold his god and its jingle his joy.
Keep him a-hustling and clear out of breath,
Until he wins – nervous prostration and death.

17, Every Mom’s Test © Nandita Shailesh Shanbhag

You are special; you mean the world to me.
You are my daughter, a reflection of my entity.

Every year, as I watch you grow by my side,
No matter what you do, you are my source of pride.

The umbilical cord may have been cut, but you should know
You are still bound to my soul, wherever you go.

Sometimes I am firm and you may think I am wrong.
Remember it is easy to give in but tough to be strong.

Sometimes I am strict and you may think it is unfair,
But I correct you only because I love and care.

I harden my heart and nag, scold and fight
To teach you the difference between the wrong and the right.

For soon, the days will pass swiftly all in a whirl,
And into a woman will grow my baby girl.

Tomorrow when you need inner strength above all,
I hope my values will give you the courage to stand tall.

I hope that in my teaching you will find tips few
Soon when you strive to make your dreams come true.

At a later date, when the real world you have to face,
Today’s lessons will help you go ahead in the race.

Some day in the future when a mother you will be,
From my point of view, the world you will see.

For your baby then you will do what is best
To blend discipline with kindness is every mom’s test.

18, The Return © John Burroughs

He sought the old scenes with eager feet —
The scenes he had known as a boy;
“Oh, for a draught of those fountains sweet,
And a taste of that vanished joy!”
He roamed the fields, he wooed the streams,
His schoolboy paths essayed to trace;
The orchard ways recalled his dreams,
The hills were like his mother’s face.
O sad, sad hills! O cold, cold hearth!
In sorrow he learned this truth —
One may return to the place of his birth,
He cannot go back to his youth.

19, A New Beginning © Troy Martin, Jr.

A little egg under her mother’s wings.
Yet to be born into the world of things.

A crack and a pop, out she came.
Old and new, it was all the same.

Well nourished by mom, she began to sing.
Ready to learn of life and everything.

Innocence of new, she started up her flaps.
Not knowing of life and all its traps.

Mother watched on, with a big chuckle.
As she sprang out of the nest with no buckle.

Back and forth, she swayed on the ground.
As her mother watched for danger all around.

She tried and tried until that day.
Fly she did, but not in a graceful way.

The day came, like mother knew it would.
For her child to fly away, like she should.

Off towards the horizon, fling she went.
Mother watching from afar, knowing it was time well spent.

Many times, the hailstorms of life beat her down.
Sometimes in flight, all the way to the ground.

Lessons well learned, she still lost her way.
Fluttered home to mom, with nothing to say.

Under mother’s wings once more, did she heal.
The grace of mothers, no one can steal.

By grace did she heal, down to the core.
Ready to take on life and its challenges once more.

She flew from the tree, mom proud to see.
She became the strongest sparrow that ever would be.

The eagles bowed down, had nothing on her, by the way.
She flew, glided, and boy, did she soar that day.

20, All Because Of You © Dana

My life is changing.
The life that I’ve had,
It’s changing forever,
But no need to be sad.

It’s time to move on,
Time to start anew.
I jumped from the nest.
With some trouble, I flew.

I might hit a few bumps,
Maybe made a wrong turn,
But all of those troubles
Are lessons I’ll learn.

So as my life changes,
I hope that you’ll see
It’s you who I’ll credit
For the life that I lead.

21, My Teenager Daughter © Vinny Vintila

My bond grows stronger each passing year,
My love will never disappear.
From the moment you were born,
My heart is filled with joy, and you I adore.

You are grown up now, a young lady fair,
Determined and beautiful, with pretty long hair.
Your smile lights up a room, your laugh, so bright.
You are a shining star, shining through the night.

As you venture out into the world,
My love will be there, forever – like gold.
You are my little girl, always will be,
And my love for you will always be free.

My love for you will never fade.
It will always be there, through the good and the bad.
Forever and always, until the end of time,
Our bond will remain, our love will shine.

22, Growing Up © Anonymous

It used to be that we could not stand to be apart
But now we are older and our lives have new starts
You have your sons and I have one too
But there is not a day that I don’t think of you
I set and remember all the fun in the past

Life is so easy
when you are young
When kisses heal boo boos
and lullabies are sung
It seemed that life could go on for years
as long as the nightlight was there
to quiet our fears
Why does growing up
have to be so hard

23, Adulthood © shraddhatandelwritings

Everything around was changing,
She didn’t know what was happening.
With a very little time for herself,
She also had to manage with everyone else.
Many had complained about her being busy,
Friendships were now getting messy.
While her life was speeding up,
She was trying to catch up.
Little did she know how to manage,
She tried not to cause much damage.
It was like climbing a big mountain,
Where pieces of rock falls on you every now and then.
But you still want to climb no matter what,
Cause giving up is something you never thought.
Also she knew she isn’t alone in this journey,
Cause adulthood had caught many!
So like everyone else,
She also tried to be a part of this good little mess,
And that’s what got her happiness!

24, Growing Up © Emma

I am a woman to be, there will be changes in me
I am a woman to be and everyone will see

I am stronger and I’m older, I’m braver and bolder
I am a women to be and everyone will see

I have good days and bad days, I have happy days and sad days
I am a women to be and everyone will see

I will love, I will hate, I will never mess with fate
I am a women to be and everyone will see

I am a women now, So I will take a bow
For I am a women to me and everyone will see

25, When I Was One-and-Twenty © A. E. Housman

When I was one-and-twenty
I heard a wise man say,
“Give crowns and pounds and guineas
But not your heart away;
Give pearls away and rubies
But keep your fancy free.”
But I was one-and-twenty,
No use to talk to me.
When I was one-and-twenty
I heard him say again,
“The heart out of the bosom
Was never given in vain;
’Tis paid with sighs a plenty
And sold for endless rue.”
And I am two-and-twenty,
And oh, ’tis true, ’tis true.

26, I Remember © Abundance Nwosu

I remember-
of days so long in the past
when I wished I would grow up so fast.

I remember-
endless races we had to school.
Coming first ensured you were cool.

I remember-
the sudden hot summer’s rain,
dancing ’round and ’round again.

I remember-
playing in the luscious grass
with all my friends in my class.

I remember-
the spooky monsters under my bed;
Mum and Dad said it was all in my head.

I remember-
when I grew to be as old as ten,
my dad made me a tree-house as my den.

I remember-
hide-and-seek was the best game,
but as we grew up it became so lame.

I remember-
Haribos were as good as gold.
I will have as many as I want when I am old.

I remember-
when I wanted to be a king
with a large throne and a diamond ring.

I remember-
my first camping trip
or my first time on a ship.

I remember-
when I broke my wrist
all the fun is what I missed.

I remember-
Mr. Cuddles, my first teddy bear.
I loved him so much and took him everywhere.

Now that I am grey and old,
My childhood memories I have told.

27, Tough Life © E. E. Rawls

“Tough Life”
The wheels of time turn
You must learn and grow, or fail,
—The life of an orc.

28, Growing Up © Rawls E. Fantasy

“Growing Up”
Growing, reaching, our
Leaves unfurl towards the sun,
With time, we blossom.

29, My Rememberer © Anonymous

My forgetter’s getting better
But my rememberer is broke
To you that may seem funny
But, to me, that is no joke.
For when I’m ‘here’ I’m wondering
If I really should be ‘there’
And, when I try to think it through,
I haven’t got a prayer!

Often times I walk into a room,
Say “what am I here for?”
I wrack my brain, but all in vain
A zero, is my score.

At times I put something away
Where it is safe, but, Gee!
The person it is safest from
Is, generally, me!
When shopping I may see someone,
Say “Hi” and have a chat,
Then, when the person walks away
I ask myself, “who was that?”

Yes, my forgetter’s getting better
While my rememberer is broke,
And it’s driving me plumb crazy
And that isn’t any joke.

30, Just a Wonder © Anonymous

A row of bottles on my shelf
Caused me to analyze myself.
One yellow pill I have to pop
Goes to my heart so it won’t stop.
A little white one that I take
Goes to my hands so they won’t shake.
The blue ones that I use a lot
Tell me I’m happy when I’m not.
The purple pill goes to my brain
And tells me that I have no pain.
The capsules tell me not to wheeze
Or cough or choke or even sneeze.
The red ones, smallest of them all
Go to my blood so I won’t fall.
The orange ones, very big and bright
Prevent my leg cramps in the night.
Such an array of brilliant pills
Helping to cure all kinds of ills.
But what I’d really like to know . . .
Is what tells each one where to go!

31, I’m Fine, How are You? © Anonymous

There’s nothing the matter with me,
I’m just as healthy as can be,
I have arthritis in both knees,
And when I talk, I talk with a wheeze.
My pulse is weak, my blood is thin,
But I’m awfully well for the shape I’m in.

All my teeth have had to come out,
And my diet I hate to think about.
I’m overweight and I can’t get thin,
But I’m awfully well for the shape I’m in.

Arch supports I need for my feet.
Or I wouldn’t be able to go out in the street.
Sleep is denied me night after night,
But every morning I find I’m all right.
My memory’s failing, my head’s in a spin.
But I’m awfully well for the shape I’m in.

The moral of this as the tale unfolds,
Is that for you and me, who are growing old.
It is better to say “I’m fine” with a grin,
Than to let people know the shape we are in.

I’m fine, how are you?

32, Reality Check © Elizabeth Van Loan

I feel young and full of pep,
Rushing hither and yon.
Enjoying every passing day
Seldom woebegone.
Until the daily news proclaims:
“Elderly Woman Hit by Car.”
And I am halted in my tracks,
My pleasant world ajar.
Forced to face reality–
That ‘elderly’ woman is
younger than me!

33, Suddenly With The Blink Of An Eye © Kathy J. Parenteau

The sun was brilliantly shining.
It was a picture of a day,
when I stared outside my window
and watched my son at play.
Funny how quickly time passes.
Suddenly with a blink of an eye,
my little boy is all grown up.
There’s no more need for lullabies.
I remember when he was an infant
how I wished that he’d turn one,
for my sleepless nights were endless
and my chores were never done.
At two, I wished that he’d turn three
so I could put the diapers away.
I never dreamed that by wishing
he’d be all grown up today.
This is the year he goes to school.
How I wish he were a baby once more.
Maybe I’d learn to let little things go
like dust on the furniture or dirt on the floor.
Oh, how I’d treasure each moment
if given a second chance,
but life just isn’t that simple,
and this is a wish that no one can grant.
Why is it we never learn before the
clock ticks away the time
to celebrate each new day
in our hearts and in our minds,
instead of looking back and asking ourselves why,
our children are all grown up
suddenly with the blink of an eye.

34, Youth © Edgar A. Guest

If I had youth I’d bid the world to try me;
I’d answer every challenge to my will.
Though mountains stood in silence to defy me,
I’d try to make them subject to my skill.
I’d keep my dreams and follow where they led me;
I’d glory in the hazards which abound.
I’d eat the simple fare privations fed me,
And gladly make my couch upon the ground.
If I had youth I’d ask no odds of distance,
Nor wish to tread the known and level ways.
I’d want to meet and master strong resistance,
And in a worth-while struggle spend my days.
I’d seek the task which calls for full endeavor;
I’d feel the thrill of battle in my veins.
I’d bear my burden gallantly, and never
Desert the hills to walk on common plains.
If I had youth no thought of failure lurking
Beyond to-morrow’s dawn should fright my soul.
Let failure strike—it still should find me working
With faith that I should some day reach my goal.
I’d dice with danger—aye!—and glory in it;
I’d make high stakes the purpose of my throw.
I’d risk for much, and should I fail to win it,
I would not even whimper at the blow.
If I had youth no chains of fear should bind me;
I’d brave the heights which older men must shun.
I’d leave the well-worn lanes of life behind me,
And seek to do what men have never done.
Rich prizes wait for those who do not waver;
The world needs men to battle for the truth.
It calls each hour for stronger hearts and braver.
This is the age for those who still have youth!

35, My Heart Leaps Up © William Wordsworth

My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The Child is father of the Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.

36, Red Hair And Freckles © Tammy M. Duncan

With red hair, freckles and a peanut butter face,
He looks at his mama with wonder and wait.
Those brown eyes a shining and looking so bright.
Just waiting for her to say okay, go outside.
With a kiss on the cheek and a hug that’s so tight.
He heads for the door with six guns at side.
There are outlaws to catch, wild ponies to ride,
Gotta get them doggies before it gets night.
With rope in his hand and hat pulled down tight,
He saddles his pony and gets ready to ride.
I’m the toughest of cowboys! He shouts to his steed.
Ain’t sacred of no outlaw, Indian, or thief!
But even the toughest of cowboys get dumped.
And he came through the front door with tears and a lump.
His mama was there to ease his pain.
With a kiss and a hug it all went away.
With red hair and freckles and a bump on his chin,
He was off riding the trails once again.
She knows that someday the time will come,
She’ll have to cut the fences and just let him run.
But with red hair and freckles and those shiny brown eyes.
He’s mama’s little cowboy, her joy and pride.