What is it with people?
The other day a guy came over to pick up something free I offered on freecycle. He was commenting on all the bikes in the yard and we were laughing about how they grow from trikes into big bikes. Then he was noticing the how many we had, we do have a lot of bikes. We are standing on the porch chatting and the kids of course starved for outside human contact start piling onto the porch, then two of the children’s windows open with kids pouring out of the windows. It was like a scene from a movie, I think I played the part of the woman who lived in a shoe.
I’m pretty sure he was starting to feel a little claustrophobic, and asked if they were all mine. When I said yes he replies with a boisterous, “Oh just wait until they are 15, 16 years old!!” I said, “I can’t wait until they are 15 years old! I’ve been training them all these years, they are going to be awesome teenagers!” That wasn’t quiet the response he was looking for and he totally changed the subject. I looked at Aidan who is always listening and he had a smirk on his face. :)
I’ve never really been very good at quietly sitting back and not saying anything. Sometimes I really wish I could just graciously and sweetly ignore what people say. But I guess I’ve seen too many teens actually turn out as horribly as the adults in their lives keep telling them they are going to be. How about a different approach? How about we start a conversation with someone and instead of snarky remarks about their teenagers-to-be we actually speak hope, encouraging words, and courage for the parents who are embarking on this new adventure?
Anyway, the look on Aidan’s face was priceless. I’m not saying my kids are going to be perfect teenagers. They ARE in fact humans. But I DO look forward to their teen years. So excuse me if I don’t join in on your degrading comments about my pre-teens in your presence. I think they need to know that I believe they can be AWESOME teens, not rebellious little misfits.
There’s my rant. Love my kids, all of them. And I can’t wait to have teenagers, free babysitting!!! ;)
Couldn’t agree with you more!! And guess what, I have 5ish “teens” right now and I’m absolutely LOVING it!!!!!! I love it so much I wish I could freeze time. It is actually way better than I could have hoped for. Does it have it’s challenges? Of course, but every season does. The biggest one right now is the calendar!! Bless you Jenny, your right to look forward to the future, it’s bright and beautiful and so much fun!! Your children will probably be your best friends someday, I know mine are :) xoxo
This is so true, Jenni! I hate it when people say negative things like that. I can’t keep my mouth shut, either, and I think that’s a good thing! I really do believe that the time and love we put into our children now will pay off in the future. I know that the teenage years will bring challenges, but I also think that every stage of life has its challenges, PLUS its rewards. I am very much looking forward to my kids being teenagers as well! Cheers!
Our children will not be “teenagers”. When they hit their teenage years they will be “young adults” and they will be treated as such.