From age 11 to 15 is a time of change. Everything is ridiculous, embarrassing, no one understands you, and you want to start crying over acne. That is what it is to be a teenager. But how does the environment around us perceive it? Mothers stand on tiptoe and tear their hair out. My siblings roll their eyes and scream loudly. We need a manual, don\’t we?
“You are the worst mother in the world and I hate this family!” The first time someone says that to you, it will hurt more than a knife in the heart. Your child is a walking time bomb. That\’s why it\’s best to just move on and think it\’s no big deal. Believe me, this is not the last time you will hear something like this. The first time you have a baby, you will panic; the third time you have a baby, you won\’t care about that.
Believe me, but trust me,
this is your first time holding hands. First kiss. Your first party. These are all things that happen in a teenager\’s life, whether you want them to or not. You have to accept the fact that this is not your child who clung to his mother\’s skirts and refused to let go. He wants to do this and that. And he will probably do it without you. So instead of forbidding it, you should inform and support him. That way you can make sure he doesn\’t eventually lose his temper and do something stupid.
Keep comfort items on hand
Hugs, handkerchiefs, chocolates. However you want to put it, it\’s the same thing. Teenager is upset and you want to calm him down? Throw a piece of chocolate in their mouth and everything will be rosy. Your daughter, the boy of your dreams, came home crying today because he saw someone else. Let your daughter make you a big handkerchief. At least you will know that the love is still there. Besides, you can always wash the bodily fluids off that blouse, so what?
A teenager\’s mood changes like the weather. Some days are stormy, some days are sunny. You have to go with the flow. If your son says it\’s your fault, accept it. If a minute later he says it\’s the teacher\’s fault, so be it. Nodding won\’t ruin anything. Agree to it at the risk of your life. Then the teacher will slam the door and you will not know what you were talking about.
WHERE I AM, YOU WERE
The Golden Rule. Whenever you feel like squirreling away that treasure in your sleep, remember your youth. Amuse yourself with memories of trying to smoke near the couch and almost setting the house on fire with your father\’s stolen cigarettes. Or how you contributed most of your makeup kit to your mother because you had a date. Almost always, the only shot you have is when you smile ruefully and say to yourself: “Actually, my boyfriend is sweet.”
Adolescence is a terror at any stage of life. You have to take a deep breath, a glass of wine in hand, and trust that one day it will end and this hormone-filled teenager will be yours again. Then he will finally appreciate what you have done for him. Then you just sit back and enjoy his anguished look and words: “Oh my God, when is my baby going to calm down?”