Teens feel that THEY know everything. We are the stupid ones, and how could we POSSIBLY know what their life is like? “My mom is so queer!!” Yeah, okay, at one time your mom was the “life of the party”, I know how it goes, or how stupid boys can be etc….It constantly amazes me how much drama 16 year old girls cause for themselves these days. They could save themselves so much trouble if they just shut their mouth or didn’t text back when somebody says something assinine (did I spell that right?) to them, right? It’s hard to believe that your girls are going to be 17, and Ali will be in February. It goes so fast. The flip side of the coin is you know you only have a few more years of being “in their life” daily, to where you won’t know EVERYTHING, like you do now. My kid tells me EVERYTHING, thank God, but some stuff I wish I didn’t know, but I’m glad she feels comfortable enough to share with me or ask me questions…..

I was watching the movie DAN IN REAL LIFE with my mother this weekend and I think it is applicable to your situation. For those who haven’t seen the movie, Dan is the widowed father of three girls, two of them teens. Though he writes a parenting column for the newspaper which is (hopefully) being picked up for syndication (therefore proving to the outside world that he actually DOES know something), his daughters have nothing but “drama” and harsh words for him. What I find compelling is that when his daughters treat him disrespectfully, none of the other adults come to his rescue, not even his own parents. That’s what I feel—all alone trying to be the “responsible adult.” Everything else, society, culture, the media, even other parents and adults, are working against my efforts. Yes, teens are full of drama and rebellion and self-centeredness, but isn’t it our job to point them away from those things and toward maturity? Boy, would I like some help with that task!

Julia » This too shall pass…we made it, didn’t we?
julieann » Amen! You’re singing my “Mean Mom Mantra.” Society, our culture and parent peer pressure make an already difficult job that much more difficult. It would a banner day (week? month? year? okay, I know I’m being greedy) if we were all combining efforts to raise this next generation!