How to say growing up

Question

I'm trying to work out how to say variations on the phrase "growing up" to refer to my childhood. Since this is idiomatic in English I don't think a direct translation will make sense.

Answer 1

You can use "grandir" (to grow):

Les enfants sont toujours impatients de grandir, de pouvoir se coucher tard et conduire une voiture.

Of course it is more vague than the English "to grow up", but the precision will have to be given by the context.

Answer 2

In addition to "grandir" given by Anne Aunyme, you could use "vieillir" (literally "to age", "to grow old")

See this definition (in french), or this one (in english).