John Barr
EH 101 9:30 Class
Group 2
A Coming of Age
Part A
The first days of 5th grade had been very exciting. I had met my new teacher, classmates, and
become acquainted with my new desk that I would be in for the remaining 35 weeks of the school year. I
had a friend that I could ride on the bus with everyday rain or shine, and my neighbor to walk up the
street with the entire way home. The whole week had been sunny and warm like most summer days in
Pennsylvania, and like the beginning of most school years I was looking forward to my birthday the
weekend after the first week of school.
Friday arrived, and I was ready for my 11th birthday party the next day, and I was so anxious my
eyes did not leave the clock for more than a mere second the whole day. Finally we got inside from PM
recess and we were in reading time while we awaited the final school bell about 45 minutes away. Then
to my surprise I was called to the office. Was I going to be let out of school early for my party? I briskly
walked to the office and was shocked to see my dad home from work to pick me up. He did not say
anything that I remember which was strange because he is usually very talkative and upbeat. I hopped in
the car and he finally broke the silence with, “We have to go to the hospital, Grandpa isn’t feeling well.”
I walked into the hospital room with my Dad to meet my mother, brother, and grandma who
were already there visiting. My grandfather had a heatstroke while mowing the lawn which was a chore
he had done every Friday for as long as I can remember. He fell and hit his head on the ledge of his
porch which also gave him a concussion to boot. My brother and I were out of school for the next week
while we stayed with our Grandma and visited Grandpa at the hospital after lunch and before bed every
day. It was a long and grueling week which left me emotionally exhausted, and the following Friday my
grandfather passed away at the age of 74. We had a viewing and funeral that weekend, and I was back
to school that Monday.
I was very upset, and I realized that something had really changed in my life beyond the loss of
my grandfather. I did not know what to expect because this was the first family member I had lost in my
lifetime. But I did have a new sense of urgency to try to help that I did not possess before. I believe that
this came to me because this was a large part of my grandfather’s character. That week I had been
thinking about what I could do to help because I really did not do anything that was not for myself at
this point in my life. On the walk home that Friday, I saw my dad mowing the lawn. He was mowing in
diagonal lines which connected my yard to my grandmother’s yard. I wanted to say something to him,
but I decided to let him finish and walked inside the house. I thought that mowing the lawn would be a
perfect way to help the family and start taking some responsibility around the house.
That night I went in to my parent’s room and asked them what I could do to help with the extra
chores around the house. They were both stressed out from the long week, and I brought up mowing
the lawn and they both seemed to like the idea. I knew in the back of my mind that next Friday it would
be a bigger hassle for my dad to teach me than to mow the lawn himself, but he wanted to teach me
and I could not wait. When I was walking up the street the next Friday, my dad had the lawn mower
turned on and was waiting for me to get home. I tossed my backpack on the garage floor and hopped
on. He did not let me mow in the crisp diagonal lines that he and grandpa always did, but he told me to
start on the outer edge and mow the whole yard in a big circle. After finishing I felt so great that I did
something for the good of someone else and not just for myself. I did not expect to enjoy mowing the
lawn because it was “work” that I had never had to do before, but this opened my young eyes to see
that doing something for someone else is more satisfying that doing it for yourself.
Part B
The problem seems to be that I would not have started taking responsibility if the death of my
grandfather had not occurred. I feel as if I should have had at least some type of responsibility; even
something as simple as making my bed. I look back on it and think, “How long would it have taken for
me to begin taking responsibility if my grandfather had not passed?”
Before this event happened in my life, I was very far from self-sufficient. I was involved in many
things like Little League Baseball, swim team, and my church youth group, but none of it would have
happened if I had had to pack my bag, or even pack a lunch. My parents took care of me in entirety to an
age that I believe was too long. I do not blame them for this because they pushed me to do these things,
but I refused and just passed it off as things I did not have to do. In a way I believe that the death of my
grandfather happened in a part to help me mature where the other half believes that it happened
simply by chance. The death of my grandfather was a very sad time for me; but now nearly ten years
later, looking back I see that the loss of my role model actually sparked a new sense of motivation that I
did not have previously at this time in my young life.
In the years leading up to the incident I was a kid who had his lunch packed for him when he
woke up in the morning, and woke up to the clothes I was going to wear that day laying on my desk in
my room. I had my day planned out for me before I woke up, yet I still wanted to have the freedom of
making my own choices like when I go over to a friend’s houses, and if I can stay up late on a school
night. The old me wanted freedom without responsibility and now that I am more mature I see that the
one does not come without the other even if it is allowed by a parent figure. Having too much freedom
before you are mature enough to take the responsibility to earn that freedom is a disaster waiting to
happen.
Mowing the lawn was the beginning for me. Shortly after I started this chore, I began washing
my own clothes, packing my own lunch, making my bed, and although quite insignificant to most,
ordering pizza for the family on Wednesdays. These responsibilities opened my eyes to the concept of
responsibility equals freedom. Figuring this out was a great time in my life because I transformed from
an 11 year old with no responsibilities to a middle school student who was taking ownership of things
that even most high school students were not. Looking back at this sad event in my life, I believe that I
made the most of it. People make their biggest mistake when they let tragic events turn in to tragic
outcomes instead of looking into it a little deeper and taking something positive with you.