Movies
I cannot for the life of me understand why small children take so long to grow up. I think they do it deliberately, just to annoy me.
— Agatha Trunchbull · Matilda
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
The speaker is baffled and irritated that children take so long to grow up, and suggests they're doing it on purpose to annoy. The humour is in treating ordinary childhood as a deliberate act of provocation.
Context reviewed