by Stephanie Partridge
Parenting is the greatest job anyone can have, but the teen years have a way of sneaking up on you. One day your child is the cute, dimpled, roly poly baby and the next he is the tall, handsome young man asking for the car keys. My daughter turned 18 the other day and my baby is not far behind her. This got me thinking…My life has changed SO MUCH since I had kids. So, here’s my list. These are 25 telltale clues that you are living with a teenager.
- There is a room in your house that looks like a disaster zone, but you can barely make out what appears to be a bed and, wait! Is that foot sticking out of the rubble?
- Your teen gets dressed to “go out” and you ask if they are going to a costume party.
- You have the Urban Dictionary bookmarked.
- It is 2 o’clock on a Saturday afternoon and you’re still the only one awake.
- You can’t remember the last time you saw your house phone, much less found it free so you could use it.
- You not only know what “emo,” “metalcore,” “poser” and “screamo” mean, you can use those words in a sentence AND you can give real life examples.
- There is a strange noise eminating from your child’s living quarters, a strange, rhythmic growling and odd vibrations. Upon inquiry, you are informed that this is “music.”
- You have discovered that one of the best ways to communicate with your teen is through FaceBook Chat.
- There are permanent indentions in the passenger side of your dashboard from your white knuckled fingers.
- You call your child’s name and, from behind their closed bedroom door you hear, “What?” Then nothing. You call again and that same voice, in a slightly irritated tone, “What?” You sigh and roll your eyes at the fact that you actually have to say, “Come here!”
- “What up, Homie! “ is a standard greeting in your house.
- You have become a pro at texting.
- You get in your car, turn it on and the radio blasts something at you that is unintelligible, loud, slightly resembling music and maybe a little scary – and you instantly know the band and the name of the song.
- You catch yourself approaching your co-workers and greeting them with “What up, Homie!”
- You are realizing that you are sounding more and more like your mother.
- You have discovered that “Clean your room” actually means “Shove everything under your bed” in teen-speak.
- You have never been a violent person, but you have an almost uncontrollable urge to throttle the boy who broke your daughter’s heart.
- If it wasn’t for your teen, you’d still be living in the dark ages. Instead, you are chatting with your friend on your web cam while texting your boss and uploading your “pics” from your digital camera.
- When they are out with friends or off doing their own thing, the house seems really quiet – and really empty.
- You secretly suspect that gremlins break into your kitchen at night and eat all your food. That has to be the explanation, right? I mean, NO ONE can eat THAT much food in such a short time!
- You have a much deeper respect for your parents and what they must have gone through, but you know in your heart of hearts that when you were a teen you were never like THAT.
- You are on a first name basis with the top five college recruiters in your area.
- You now know that black eyeliner isn’t just for girls.
- Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, will be done “in a minute.”
- You know that you have a bff in your teen and you wouldn’t trade your life for anything in the world.
Hug your teen today and while you are telling them how much you love them, also let them know all the wonderful things that they have brought to your life.
I don’t know about you, but I would’nt trade my crazy bunch for the world.
Good game.
Biography: Stephanie Partridge, a contributing writer on teen parenting at sites such as more4kids.info and Alexandria Teen Parenting Examiner (Alexandria, VA), knows well the habits and behaviors of that mysterious creature known as the teenager. A single mom living just outside of Washington, D.C. and raising two (awesome) teenagers on her own (and one out of the nest), Stephanie has an innate understanding of teens and the issues that they face today. Her articles, providing a practical, positive and often humorous approach to tackling teen issues, have been featured on numerous websites. She is also a freelance photographer.
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