My Teens Are Making Me Nutty?
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| Thu, 05-17-2007 - 11:28am |
Overall, I have good kids. Darn good kids, actually, and 99% of the time I feel very blessed, very lucky. But then there’s that remaining 1% -- which happens to include today -- when they make me nutty.
Let’s start with C, my oldest, first ...
The AP Exam is over and done and her class has decided to celebrate with a trip to Disneyland. On the Sunday of Memorial Weekend. (In my middle-aged mind, this translates to …. “Hey, lets all spend $60 a piece to go stand in lines for hours at Disneyland and maybe go on a ride or two.” But I am old and pessimistic. Better to be young, optimistic and spontaneous, no? Minor details, like how they are going to get there “haven’t been worked out yet”. Since few of the AP Euro students actually drive, I venture a guess that I will find the resolution of that particular detail rather amusing.
Chelsea had an early dismissal yesterday and since I drove up to get her at that early dismissal time, she got home FOUR hours earlier than usual. So why then, when she told me she needed to go to the library and learning from yours truly that the library closed at 6:00pm, did she wait until 5:40 to announce she ‘was ready’? Why was she up until 11:30 doing homework? On a Biology project that was assigned over a week ago? And why on earth did I feel the need to stay up with her? And why was she down here at 6:15 this morning scrambling to write and print a poem for her English class? (Both the Bio project and poem are due today.) The mysteries of the teenage mind continue to baffle and amaze.
Moving on to my baby, W ...
Fusses forever over his hair each morning. That hair, while still soaking wet, is carefully combed and plastered to his face so it hangs just so over his face, which completely destroys any chance of him actually seeing out of his left eye. (Hey! Maybe he can just start wearing only one contact lens! That would save a bit of money in the long run – he’d get twice as much use out of a single box of lenses.)
And then … forgets to brush his teeth. I can’t count how many times each week I send him back upstairs to brush his teeth, but it’s just about every day. I guess a boy needs to have his priorities. Hair first … teeth, uh ... maybe.
On the way out the door, a final glance in the mirror reveals that {{{gasp!}}} his hair has moved out of place, necessitating a 2nd run back upstairs for his hairbrush so he can ‘re-style’ his locks en route to school, while he complains about …
Taking his vitamin. This particular brand (One a Day for Men) doesn’t have the easy-to-swallow coating and sometimes it sticks in his throat a little. SO … the answer to his daily whining query … “Yes, you have to take it. You aren’t eating enough any day to get enough vitamins in you.” Which then leads to a discussion on the size of his lunch.
En route to school, Wes tells me he forgot ... to do his homework, have me sign something, his math book, silent reading book, lunch, PE clothes. At this point, its’ decision time: can you? Do the homework during class, borrow someone’s math book? Do we go back home and get lunch and/or PE clothes? And can we just sit in the car and sign necessary papers and risk clogging up the drop-off lane? And upsetting other parents? Ugh. Too much to think about before 7:30 in the morning.

Oh you mean this isn't normal?
My favorite is when it's declared anywhere between 10pm and 7am that they need money for whatever the reason. I NEVER have cash on me and we live in the middle of no where :( You'd think I'd learn...
This is toooo funny :) I know that it is making you crazy right now, but It actually just cheered me up about our everyday battles...even with really good kids, they are still teenagers. Thanks for sharing...and keep your chin up,
Julie
I can most definitely relate to the ds and the hair and tooth brushing. Same same in our house with ds14. Even to the point of almost being late for school today (thus work for me). And he was even out of bed 15 minutes earlier than normal! Argh! I can definitely commiserate.
Sue
These are the moments where I don't fully miss driving in the morning. My son is the one who just rolls out of bed, throws on clothes, and is yelling at his 3 sisters to hurry up while he eats breakfast. Reagan, my little earthy child, just gets fed up and usually rides her bike to school. Carlin cannot stand being even almost late so sometimes she gets angry and just starts walking until one of them picks her up along the way. The stress in the morning stems from Shea who is not a morning person and takes the longest to get ready.
Gotta love mornings.
Stephanie
Oh yeah....the typical teen stuff. It is nice not having to drive anymore, but there are still the frustrations that pop up.
AFter DS17's soccer game on Saturday, he got a flat tire..at 5PM, supposed to pick up gf for prom at 6PM, and I have to pick up the corsage after giving him a ride home. Next day we go to get the car, call AAA. The guy is surprised there's no jack in his car. Made him watch to see how a tire is changed, then when we got home I had him check the air pressure (something he's NEVER done) in all his tires--they were about 10# OVERinfalted. Monday he takes his car in, gets the tire repaired. Today, he says, "Mom, can I take the Avalon to soccer practice cuz the guy said my tire won't last long." Huh? Why didn't he get a new tire right away? He tells me he didn't have time, but he had 5 hours to spend with his gf last night.
Tonight, "Mom, tomorrow is senior skip day. Nothing is going on in any of my classes. Will you call in for me?" Let's see....he's getting a C in pwr trng cuz he's too lazy to fill out the sheets with the # of reps/sets of each exercise; he got 3/16 on the calc AP practice test; he has a 20 minute presentation to prepare for his English class; he never bothered doing whatever paperwork he needs to do to get his unexcused absence changed to an excused absence when I called the school saying he was sick, and later found out it was a "bad zit day"; and he's been tardy to 3 classes this semester. Thankfully, his older brother agrees I should make him go to school, and when I told him that, he finally quit his whining. He is doing a good job preparing me for the departure. It's much easier letting them go off to college or into the real world after we've experienced these frustrations with them.
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http://www.pnhp.org/news/2009/october/meet_the_new_health_.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQTBYQlQ7yM
You have made my day.
Here I thought I was the only one.
I used to think that only elderly people got alzheimers. But they should do studies on my kids. Every day for the past 9 years (they are in 7th and 8th grade), we follow the same routine.
Every morning they awake like they are in the movie 50 First Dates, and completely forget what they need to do to get ready.
I should just tape record:
"do you have your socks?"
"where is your book bag"
"did you put your books and homework in it?"
Glad to know that I am not alone...
Shannon