Start your story with the words: “Grow up.”

Posted in Angst on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 63 stories

“Growing Sideways” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

Submitted to Contest #139

“Grow up.”“Get out of my room.”I cross my arms. We stare at each other.“$275,” I say. “It’s going to cost $275 to replace your retainer.”“So?” “So? So—do you have $275 to replace your retainer?” I ask my son, exasperated at his indifference.“No,” he replies, dismissing me. He begins to shove his earbuds back into his skull. I slap them out of his hands.“HEY,” he protests, snatching them off the floor. His fingernails are painted black, the nail polish chipped around the tips. “I’m talking to you,” I explain, growing more infur...

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“The Years Will Rush By” by S. Thomson

Submitted to Contest #139

ㅤGrow up. Go to school. Tell the class your name. Colour inside the lines. Try to make friends. Brush your teeth for two minutes in the morning. Brush your teeth for two minutes in the evening. Don’t lie. Come inside, you must be freezing. Be nice to your sister. Eat your vegetables. Don't mess around. Learn to tie shoelaces. You're too old for velcro now. Learn about verbs and nouns and adjectives. Let’s mark your height on the doorframe. Come on, stand up straight.ㅤㅤGrow up. Tuck your shirt in. Stand out from the crowd. Learn to play foot...

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“Fir Enough 🌲 ” by PJ Aitken

Submitted to Contest #139

“Grow up, Jeff! You’re such a wuss! Let’s go a bit further!” Tanya used the whingeing voice her brother made as a kid.Jeff rolled his eyes and conceded to his sister for the millionth time in his life.Trudging through the snowy fields at night to the forest, Walter, Jeff and Tanya were struggling to hold the tools they needed to carry out their annual tradition.“Guys, let’s just chop these ones down as I can’t feel my legs.” whined Jeff, slapping his limbs to see if they were blocks of ice. Tanya and Walter continued to ignore him.A few minu...

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“Summer Loving” by Amanda Lieser

Submitted to Contest #139

A note to the reader: This is a love story. Specifically, it’s about two people falling in love for the very first time. But it’s also a story that I hope opens the conversation surrounding consent and intimacy for our youths. Please be advised that the final scene of this story contains content surrounding that conversation. “Oh grow up,” Amelia scoffs at my big, black, puppy eyes staring at you and your best friend, Jacob. The two of you are known as Jacob and Carson, the two youngest black belts in the history of the Studio. Your nam...

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“Dancing Seas, Quaking Earth, Rocking Beds” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #139

“Grow up in Fisher’s Gasp and you learn how to handle yourself in a boat. There’s a big difference between fishing from a rowing boat and spending weeks at a time without seeing land. How long will it be before we dock at the other side of this gods forsaken ocean?” Danielle Longbow asked the red acolyte, clutching her stomach. She had barely kept a meal down in a month. The red acolyte, Barra, shrugged. “It takes as long as it takes, Cranner. It depends on the waves, th...

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“Growing Up is Optional” by Christina B

Submitted to Contest #139

“Grow up.” I was no more than six and I had just skinned my knee on the rough asphalt of the cul-de-sac where my grandmother lived. For reasons more complicated than the parameters of this story, my second cousin was being raised by my grandmother. She was five years older than me and undoubtedly resented having to always play with the “littler” kids. But she must have known her arguments would fall on deaf ears and conceded to riding bikes and drawing with sidewalk chalk at the end of the cul-de-sac. I’ve had an active imagination since...

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“An Unfamiliar Sound” by Jordan Caves-Callarman

Submitted to Contest #139

“Grow up,” he said to himself, standing just outside the kitchen. “It was nothing.” But still he didn’t move.It was late, and Alex didn’t want to be standing hesitantly near the darkened kitchen. He wanted to be asleep. He’d dozed off watching Netflix on the couch again, but tonight, instead of waking up around 2am and stumbling blearily to bed, he’d been pulled back to consciousness just before midnight by an unfamiliar sound. Alex lived alone, and his apartment was small - a bedroom and bathroom in the back, living room and small gall...

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“Deadline ” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #139

“Grow up.” “No, you grow up.” Sebastian paused. ‘Maybe…’ he thought, Pen to paper, he wrote. Nancy said, “Shut up!” “No, you shut up.” Melissa stood her ground. ‘Better…’ Sebastian then shook his head, slashed a line through the second dialogue and circled the first. ‘First drafts always suck,’ he thought. ‘I’d rather be working at home.’ Writing a novel is hard enough without the distractions that come with sitting in a hospital bed, endless tests and hovering nurses. This defibrillation detour was no help. His deadline loomed. He needed f...

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“Time” by Shelby B

Submitted to Contest #139

Grow up. Grow up. Grow up. That’s all we wanted to do when we were younger. We wanted to go out into the world on our own. We didn’t want to listen to our parents, teachers, or any other adult we came across. We wanted to make our own rules. We thought we were ready for it all. Bills. Work. Groceries. It all crept on us so quickly we barely had time to prepare. They tried to tell us, but we never listened. I think that’s because we thought we still had forever left. We thought a few years meant a lifetime, but we blinked and it was no...

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“Life Cycle” by Mike Lavine

Submitted to Contest #139

“Grow up,” I tell the bike messenger. “And give me what I asked for. You know it’s not yours.” I’m standing on a traffic island in one of San Francisco’s widest and busiest intersections. After watching this guy blaze past the island every hour on the hour all morning, I had finally gotten lucky and a red light stopped him right in front of me. Lean tattooed body, tight jean shorts with ragged hems, and a bright pink cycling cap. He unclip...

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“If only ” by Milo Leal

Submitted to Contest #139

Grow up she said to me as I stared at her. Eventually, when you become a teenager, you'll start to find yourself but there can be people who don't want you to find yourself. Age 15 came around quickly, and I argued with my mother, "let me cut my hair" I shouted as she refused "why, your gonna look like a boy, Your my little princess" in moments I snapped "I didn't ask to be one, oh if I had the choice, I wouldn't even hesitate to pick boy, because guess what being a girl isn't all that fun." I said as I slammed my bedroom door.Moments later ...

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“Broken Things” by Penelope Stephens

Submitted to Contest #139

“Oh, grow up.” This was my mother’s reaction when I came out to her as being transgender. I think she knew already. I had probably left her clues: a bra not so carefully hidden, evidence that I had been using her makeup, leaving a razor stubble ring around the bathtub after a Sunday morning bath to shave my legs while she was off at church. I didn’t consciously want her to find out, but maybe unconsciously . . . . I was just lucky that my father had passed away, because he would've done more than tell me to grow up, he would've thro...

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“Nigel Goes to A Bar” by Sean Sorce

Submitted to Contest #139

"I'm sorry Nigel, but your mother and I think you should grow up by cutting your expenses. You need learn some responsibility especially if you want to be the next boss in our family firm," said my dad on the other end of my iphone. I sat there listening to my father as the bartender handed me my first can of ginger ale. My dad continued explaining the decision he and mother made just recently.Annoyed, I replied: "So what am I supposed to do father? Just live like a pleasant?""Yes my son. I think that is best," he answered. "Your mother and ...

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“Growing Up” by Brian D

Submitted to Contest #139

Growing up - read the poster hanging above Mrs. Langer’s second grade classroom. Below the poster sat a small plant and – Sam’s favorite – a hamster relaxing in a hamster house.Sam was a member of Mrs. Langer’s classroom, and every chance he had, he ran - as fast as he was allowed - to catch a glimpse of Mr. Hammy, the classroom hamster. Last week, Sam had even bought Mr. Hammy a toy – a small green and white colored ball. When Mr. Hammy was presented with the new toy, he squealed with joy, holding on to the ball with his tiny...

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“Educating Emily” by Becca Ward

Submitted to Contest #139

Grow up. The words rolled around in Emily’s head like rubbish on a windy day. Grow up, grow up, grow up! But, she reasoned, she measured taller today than last week. Surely that was something.Her older sister said this whenever Emily asked a curious question. Her mother said it when Emily asked why one too many times, and her father said it whenever she talked too much over dinner. But it wasn’t her fault, she reasoned. Why should her thoughts be less interesting or less grown up than anyone else’s?It was a typical cold February midweek...

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Start your story with the words: “Grow up.”

Submissions are closed

✍️ 63 stories

“Growing Sideways” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

“The Years Will Rush By” by S. Thomson

“Fir Enough 🌲 ” by PJ Aitken

“Summer Loving” by Amanda Lieser

“Dancing Seas, Quaking Earth, Rocking Beds” by Graham Kinross

“Growing Up is Optional” by Christina B

“An Unfamiliar Sound” by Jordan Caves-Callarman

“Deadline ” by John K Adams

“Time” by Shelby B

“Life Cycle” by Mike Lavine

“If only ” by Milo Leal

“Broken Things” by Penelope Stephens

“Nigel Goes to A Bar” by Sean Sorce

“Growing Up” by Brian D

“Educating Emily” by Becca Ward

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that involves a character donating a box of clothes which have been outgrown.

Start your story with someone having their height marked on a door frame.

Format your story in the style of diary entries.

Write about a character sowing seeds for the future (literally or figuratively).

Contest #139

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

239

Contest entries

135

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: