Spring 2011
Dear Friends
Living with teenagers can be a tricky and trying experience at times. They can be happy and carefree one minute, then, without warning, the storm clouds roll in, and they turn into surly, withdrawn creatures, barely making eye contact and communicating only with grunts and monosyllabic words. Then for no apparent reason, the universe shifts once again, and they cheerfully ask, 'What’s for dinner?' It's enough to make your head spin. There are moments when I long for what now seem like much simpler times: bubble baths and shampoo mohawks, seemingly endless bedtime stories, sticky fingers and faces, hugs, and little boy voices saying, 'I love you, Mommy.' Now, instead of giggly bubble baths, there are never-ending showers that use up all the hot water. Instead of my putting the boys to sleep with a bedtime story (or two, or three), my boys wake me up late at night to let me know they made it home safe and sound. The hugs have morphed into a kind of one-shoulder lean with no arms involved, over in an instant no matter how I try to hang on to them. But of all the changes that have occurred through the years, the one that causes me to wonder what I could have done differently as a parent is the response I get when I say, 'I love you.' Instead of a resounding 'I love you too, Mommy!' what I hear is 'um hmm' or 'ok.' I could let this strike me prostrate with grief, but instead I think back to my own teenage years and my surliness and mood swings with my own parents, and I realize it has nothing to do with me. It is all about my boys and the changes they are going through as they find their own way in the world. High school graduation, college, career choices, social pressures, and the occasional bad hair cut are all reasons to cause uncertainty and aggravation. Throw in some crazy woman clinging to their arms as they try to leave the house, and it's no wonder all they can do is grunt. So, thank you Mom and Dad for your patience, guidance, and unfailing love during my tumultuous teens, and for keeping your snickers to a minimum as I bemoan my own trials as a parent of teenagers. I will continue to call out, 'I love you, Buddy' when my sons head out the door, and I'm doing a pretty good job.
|
