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Tuesday, April 25, 2006FourI've figured it out. In the year 2012, my children are all going to be teenagers at the same time -- for exactly two months. That's right. Four teenagers. Count 'em. Two boys and two girls. Spencer, my youngest, will turn 13 on March 29 of that year. Two months later, Jonathan, my oldest, will turn 20. Thus the "two months with four teenagers." If I survive, will I win something? Actually, I don't have the "brace yourself" attitude that many (most) parents have about the teen years. I don't agree that teenagers are automatically going to cause misery, wreak havoc, and daily remind you how old and stupid you are. I've already got one teen, and I love him dearly. Jonathan will be 14 next month and he still gives me hugs and wants to hang out with his dad and me (sometimes to an annoying degree). Yesterday, he baked chocolate chip cookies for me, because it was my birthday. He'd been down there for a while, steadfastly trashing my kitchen, when he appeared at my office door, asking me to come down and "choose one." Down to the kitchen I went. Jonathan had filled two mugs with ice water, and placed two warm-from-the-oven cookies on a napkin by each mug. "Why are there two?" I asked. "So that we can enjoy them together." I kid you not. That's what he said. And he meant it. In that simple gesture, he made my entire afternoon glow. He's really not from another planet (most days). He can mumble his words, roll his eyes, and tease his little brother like every other almost-fourteen-year old boy. His hair is almost always unkempt, and his bedroom borders on biohazard. But he has the soul of a poet; the heart of a prince. He's going to make somebody a darn good husband. He's one heck of a drummer, too. And did I mention that he's handsome? Eric and I are still trying to figure out where he got his genes. So in that light, I think I can handle two months of four teenagers. Except, of course, for the irrefutable fact that girls are more difficult than boys. Sandwiching two teenaged girls in between the two teenaged boys is probably going to be the most challenging aspect of my two-month teen marathon. "Hormone" is an ugly word. I'm already dealing with mood swings, sulking, and "I'm ugly," -- and my girls are only pre-teens. Ugh! Give me a voice-cracking boy any day. At least I can pack him off to his dad when it's time to talk about "becoming a man" stuff. I'm the one who gets to deal with bra measurements for blushing bloomers, armpit shaving technique, and how-to-insert-a-tampon lessons. At least by 2012 my girls will have all the basics down. The days of "woman-in-training" lessons will be long past. By then, I will be a Well Seasoned Mother of Teenagers. I hear the weather in the Caribbean is going to be particularly nice in 2012, though -- specifically, from March to May. Having a contingency plan is always a good idea. |
About Me
I am: Mother to five stunningly individualistic children... Writer of young adult fantasy... Passionate advocate for Women At Home... Madly in love with my husband... In need of Organic Gourmet Chocolate on a regular basis. I've got a Paypal account if you'd like to contribute to the cause....
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10of my readers are feeling chatty:
Happy Birthday Jill!!!!!!! This entry had me laughing. Biohazard bedroom???
I love that Jonathan baked cookies for you. He is such a thoughtful young man.
I hope that your special day was extra extra special!!!!!!! xo
I have four children as well, but my two oldest are teens now. My third child will be 18 when my youngest is 12. There's only 16 months between my older two and then 5 1/2 years, then there's 6 years between the last two, lol.
Can you hear the hearty AMEN echoing from the suburbs of Philadelphia?
Three of my dear ones have reached their teens (can you believe Kyle will be SEVENTEEN this Friday!?!!)and they are all constant delights.
I honestly don't know how I managed to raise them back before I had their help. ;-)
They're such tremendous blessings to me with their younger siblings and the two eldest can easily run the household themselves.
I haven't had the hormonal issues with my pretty princess though, she's always been beautifully self-assured and unaffected. She believes she can do anything she sets her mind to and handle anything life brings her way, and she does. I honestly don't know where she came from, she's my brilliant, elegant heroine, the girl I wish I'd been.
I think, to some extent at least, children will live up to our expectations of them. Parents need to stop believing society's negative stereotypes and dreading these years so they can enjoy and appreciate the wonderful people their children are becoming.
Teens rock, and yours are (and will be) awesome Jill! :-)
I think Kerrie add's a little too much Guinness to her children's stew!
;-)
Tsk Snick,
As if I'd share. ;-)
ROFLMAO Kerrie!
Interesting thought......There will never be a time when all of mine are teens together.
I am happy to see that someone else thinks along the same lines. My "three teenage boys at once" occurs next year - I'll have a 19, a 16, and a 13.
Thankfully they are boys, and as you said, I can throw them to their Dad when they get uppity.
Oh man. I just know my daughter is going to come to me about bra's, tampons and whatnot first.
Besides that, do you think Spencer would wait around 14-15 years for my Katherine? I'll check in then to see if he's available.
Ken
Faith...You wise woman. You did it in stages! LOL
Kerrie...It is positively unfair that you are younger than me with an older child. :)
Marie...I may need your phone number in a few years!
Ken...So long as you don't mind the grueling, 36-hour battery of tests she'll have to go through. You know....psychological, physical, spiritual, intellectual. Then there's the genetic testing, cellular scans, extensive geneological study, fertility tests, shoe size...
But hey. She can keep her maiden name as a middle name and sound a lot like her mother-in-law! :)
Jill - I know that you mean with getting to the annoying point. Our son is turning 21 in June - and he still lives at home and spends most of his time home too. He even brings his friend here all.the.time. too....But I love it (to a certain) point. But I have to say, he has never baked cookies for me. How awesome.
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