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When a Boy Becomes a Man

One day, the boy becomes a man When it happens he hardly knows, It seems to have been a noble plan Some say that’s just how it goes. For oft he’d heard, “Boy, grow up!” Followed by this, “Act like a man!” First, he noticed a strange hiccup Then, he sounded like a frogman. He outgrew all of his favorite jeans. They said he was all legs and arms Fast approaching his middle teens Other signs set off anxious alarms. He began formulating his life plan And making decisions on his own, He becomes certain that he’s a man When he takes out his first car loan.
Written August 5, 2022

Copyright © | Year Posted 2022




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Date: 8/6/2022 11:54:00 PM
Rites of passage... perhaps different for every one of us... I know that I became a man when a college friend called me a 'Dirty Jew.' That got me out of diapers in a big hurry... Peace, Gershon
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L Milton Hankins
Date: 8/7/2022 8:30:00 AM
A college friend???? I would have knocked the hell out of him! Unbelievably crass of him. A college friend????
Date: 8/6/2022 7:51:00 PM
My grandson is fifteen and a half "First, he noticed a strange hiccup Then, he sounded like a frogman." and he sounds like a frogman now. It makes me want to laugh, but I wisely do not.
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L Milton Hankins
Date: 8/6/2022 9:31:00 PM
It's just a hurdle he'll get through. Before you know it, he'll be singing bass and wonder about all the other changes taking place...those "anxious alarms!"
Date: 8/6/2022 6:58:00 AM
You took us through the development and signs of a boy becoming a man. Milton sadly I have heard said that you become a man also when you lose your parents. I wonder if you have heard this? These are all fine examples of becoming a man. I am sure some of these developments apply to girl becoming a women. What do you think?
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L Milton Hankins
Date: 8/6/2022 8:27:00 AM
Well, I know girls go through significant physical changes when they are becoming a woman, but I'm not sure they suffer the traumas boys often do. Nope, I've not heard that, but it has some validity. I think one of the chief signs is when your parents say, "Hey, you're on your own with this!"

Book: Reflection on the Important Things