Ahhh, the teenage years. Are there any other words that conjure up such dread in the hearts of parents? We are knee-deep in teenage moodiness, attitude, and smart-mouthedness.
Don't get me wrong. Kevin is a good kid. A great kid. He doesn't get into any trouble, he does well in school, he's very loving and tolerant of his siblings, and he seems to have a pretty strong sense of right and wrong. But man, oh man, can he cop an attitude.
Did you know that once your child hits the magic 13, everything must go exactly their way? Did you further know that you should never say "no" to your teenage child? Did you also know that you should never look a teenager directly in the eyes, as they interpret it as a challenge and may attack? Plentiful eye-rolling and lots of "What?!? That's not fair!" and "Okay, fine!" in a shrieky voice ensues during adolescence, as well. And door-slamming. And stomping.
Oy.
I keep reminding myself of how it felt to be 13. I very much remember how difficult - impossible at times - it was to harness and control my confusing emotions at that age. I try to keep this in mind, but it's hard to excuse some of Kevin's rudeness and disrespectfulness even while I try to have compassion and empathy for what he's going through. Today, after he told Michael to "Mind your own business!" and then stomped off, took his anger and frustration out on everyone in his path, and then slammed his bedroom door, I stormed into his room and said what parents around the world say to their teenagers: "YOU'RE GROUNDED!!!"
3 comments:
Good luck to both of you. It's not an easy couple of years. Though you might want to remind him, doors are a privilege and can easily be taken on the hinges.
OMG. Don't tell me it gets worse. My oldest just hit 13 last week. Ugh! May we survive this stage.
Thank you for this. I don't know how I found you, but God sent me here.
I have had a horrendous week with my 14 year old. Horrendous. He is my first teenager. And I was just sitting here, crying tears into my coffee, wondering "did I not give him enough love? No wonder he's so angry, I didn't love him enough, hug him enough, play with him enough..."
Thank you! He is 14. How could I forget that? How could I not know that. You wrote this perfectly, and I'd love for moms of firstime teens to see this...because we all forget, and we're not prepared for our sweet boys to be hurled into adolescence. It happened overnight. Can you send this in to mamapedia, or a home magazine?? Because, by God's divine hand, it saved me today.
Thank you. Humbly, thank you.
It's a stage!! hahaha! I have to laugh. It's a stage..and why didn't I know that???
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