Teen full of ‘tude
When I think I can’t be surprised by anything The Kids do
anymore, there seems to be one more trick up their sleeve. The Girl
is fourteen and so full of attitude sometimes, I think that if I
popped her with a pin, she’d blow herself around the room. A simple
request to fold a load of laundry can illicit sighs and slumped
shoulders as if I’d just sentenced her to hard labor.
Teen full of ‘tude
When I think I can’t be surprised by anything The Kids do anymore, there seems to be one more trick up their sleeve. The Girl is fourteen and so full of attitude sometimes, I think that if I popped her with a pin, she’d blow herself around the room. A simple request to fold a load of laundry can illicit sighs and slumped shoulders as if I’d just sentenced her to hard labor.
Gone are the days of, “I can do it, Mommy. Let me help.” She hears my car drive up in the driveway after a trip to Safeway and she bolts up the stairs, two at a time.
I know I am channeling my parents when out of my mouth comes what I thought is a strange voice, but actually turns out to be my own saying, “If I did that when I was your age, my father would have smacked me.”
I was sure that I am inflicting my own brand of psychologist-worthy wisdom, when I once told her that if she didn’t knock off the attitude, I was going to take away every single book in her room. What?? I knew I’d lost it, then. We still laugh about that one.
The Girl can be sweet, too. Just the other day, she threw her arms around me and said, “I love you, Mom.” I was touched. Until I realized she was about to lobby for a cell phone for her upcoming 8th grade promotion into the sophisticated world of the High School Girl. We take what we can get.
If I am very quiet, sometimes, I can hear her reading to The Boy. Or playing a game of Scrabble with him, teaching him what a triple letter score is. It’s almost like she doesn’t want to go public with her thoughtfulness. I once read that you should openly praise good behavior and positive deeds. So, after hearing her read to her brother, I showered her with praise, hoping she would get the message that it was a nice thing. She recoiled and replied in typical teenaged Lindsay Lohanese, “Ugh, Mom. Don’t make such a big deal.” and stalked off. I have learned to be quiet and just beam on the inside.
Father’s Day is fast approaching, and she asked me what I thought she should give to her Dad. Her very patient, long-suffering Dad. He is a tough guy to shop for, like most guys, but is always happy with socks.
He has been known to utilize his valuable army training and say, “At ease” to get one of us to back down in a heated mother/daughter debate. A referee and chauffer, he rarely loses his temper, but when he does, The Girl and I retreat.
Apparently, some of her father’s care has taken hold, and shown itself in The Girl in an act of kindness. She’d written an essay about why her father should be a Top Dad in the Building Peaceful Families contest.
The Girl’s search for the perfect gift had come to an end before she even broke into her piggy bank. Her essay was chosen and The Family will attend a luncheon honoring all of the other 49 great Dads selected. The Girl had won her Dad a spot in the Bay Area Fatherhood Hall of Fame for the year 2006.
We intend to remind her of this when he is displeased about her coming home late for curfew in a couple of years.
Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads who drive the carfulls of screaming teenaged girls to the mall or teach their boys how to drive in the family car without the benefit of a stiff drink or a helmet. You are the Dads who make a difference. You are the Dads who are happy with socks.
