Oh No Another Teen on the Way

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-19-2003
Oh No Another Teen on the Way
5
Tue, 09-26-2006 - 1:33pm

I have a teen daughter who is turning 15 in a few days but I also have a young, preteen son who is turning 11 in a week.

I noticed alot of the usually preteen behaviour in him lately. He is argumentative, oversensitive, involved in alot of the usual "dramas" at school, concerned about his appearance etc. He's a good kid but I have seen alot of the telltale signs lately and doing the "oh no...I know what's around the corner"... lol

So, this morning, my son got up and after a bit came into my room as I was getting ready for work. He was up fairly early (he usually gets up after I leave) and he was looking all pouty and sheepish around me. I know that as my cue that he wants to tell me something so I asked him what was up. He said "I don't want to tell you...because you'll just get mad...". My radar went up because recently there has been alot of this usually about something he did wrong at school or an arguement with friends. I tried to get him to open up but he wouldn't and I let it go figuring he'd tell me when he wanted to.

So I went to his room to get something and he rushed in there ... anxious to put some dirty clothes into his clothes hamper. So I got a bit suspicious. He had problems with bedwetting for a few years but he's outgrown that and that wasn't an issue. He's also had problems with skin irritations and the such so I thought he might be experiencing that so I asked him if he had any sort of infection or injury he wanted to tell me about. He said no...but he didn't want me looking at his laundry because it was "embarassing". I let it go and then later noticed that in his dirty underwear were the unmistakable tell-tale signs of ... a wet dream !!!

Oh my God it was all I could do to control myself from laughing out loud. I knew better than that because that would HORRIFY him of course. But I thought it was cute that he sort of wanted to tell me but then he knew enough about what it was to be embarrassed to tell me. Poor thing....its so HARD being a teenager but these poor boys with these rather uncontrollable changes....

I kept it to myself, chuckling inside at that point but now I'm sitting here getting a little sad and nostalgic. My son and I are sooo close. He has talked to me about anything and everything all his life. He's closer to me than to his dad because our personalities are so similar. But this...he can't talk to me about and I feel sorry for that. Its not that I am unwilling to talk to him but I know it would be mortifying for him. So now I await the onslaught of young teenage boy hormones and growth and inevitable drama....oh boy....not another one!

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-20-2005
Tue, 09-26-2006 - 2:21pm
Poor guy! When youngest DD got her period, I showed her how to put on a pad. Her only comment was - 'back in diapers'. I did laugh at that!
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-28-1999
Tue, 09-26-2006 - 4:18pm

I also have an 11 yo boy who is just so sweet. He gives me a big hug every a.m. before he goes to school. Lately, he has kind of been mad at his DSS (16) so he is wearing me out wanting to play games w me at night, but even though I might not feel like it, I do it cause I know it won't last. At least by the time, he hits the teens the 2 girls will be in college, hopefully away from home. I do wonder how it will be diff. to have a boy as a teen compared to girls.

The other day he said that he would be really said when his DS (the senior) went away to college because she was gone for a week to overnight camp and he missed her a lot then. I think he will probably take it harder than me, even though she has her days when she calls him an "idiot". I will miss her too, but I won't miss waiting up worrying if she is home, or her messyness. But then again, she could live at home and commute (horrors).

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2003
Tue, 09-26-2006 - 10:30pm

Wow sounds like my house... but my son is 16 and we went out to dinner
this weekend and it was a new place. There was these two girls there
and one of them read my sons shirt (he wears these slogan shirts) and
she told him she liked his shirt. They were serving pizza... well, I asked
her if they were from our town or the one adjoining and she told me that
they were sisters and they were from a christian academy that was in
out town.. that this was thier first year at my sons school. I told her
that he was in that same school and she was really excited to hear this.
She then asked him what grade he was in - They are both in the same grade and
and they started conversing. When we went to our table, he shortly asked
his father if he could get him a refill of soda as he couldn't get up at
this point.. (OMG) Seems he has some "feelings" for this girl. His sister told
him to write his number on a napkin and give it to her - ask her to call him.
He did that, but she still hasn't called, and she hasn't seen him in school
either. I hope that he won't let this discourage him from girls... as she
really seemed to be interested in him...smiling and flirting. I thought
maybe her parents might not let her "call" a boy... I don't know...

any ideas?

LOL - he seemed quite confortable telling his 18 year old sister that
he had this "issue" if you know what I mean... LOL

Signlady


"We are Virginia Tech - we will Prevail"


iVillage Member
Registered: 07-19-2003
Wed, 09-27-2006 - 1:22pm
I credit my son with teaching me so many lessons about the male half of the population. I know he's just one guy and doesn't represent the entire male world but being part of a family where we were two sisters and our closest relatives were 90% female, I had little direct experience with males and had alot of incorrect stereotypes and impressions. My son taught me how boys can be even sweeter and more affectionate than girls as well as loyal and sensitive and quite open and honest. He is the light of my life in so many ways and I so hope we will stay close. Unfortunately his dad and grandma do not have a great relationship although I put the blame for that squarely on her side. She clearly favours her younger son and daughter (she even regularly forgets my husband's birthday for goodness sakes) and that's put quite a strain on my husband over the years. My little guy mentioned nothing further but I am going to keep looking out for him knowing he's enterring a very confusing stage of his life....
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Thu, 09-28-2006 - 12:17pm
LOL - well, at least it didn't totally freak him out. My poor (then) 14 year old foster son asked ME about that - because he was very worried that something was "broken"! When I explained what was going on, THAT seemed to bother him too...and he finally told me that he ws afraid he'd never be able to have kids because he'd "use it all up" before then! Kind of funny, but poor boy!
ps - I understand the nostalgia! I'm suffering that with my 13 year old daughter right now - we've always been VERY close, but she's really "embarrased" about stuff. I just realized she hasn't asked me to buy her any feminine protection in a long time ...turns out she's just been using toilet paper. THEN I realized she doesn't have any bras in the laundry...turns out she's only got one that fits so she's been handwashing it every night! Can't imagine why she won't tell me.