Speaking of prom, I’m happy to report that “the ask” was simple, inexpensive, and…weirdly-timed. Last fall I wrote about “The Ask” and how it’s a new-ish tradition for high schoolers to come up with all kinds of crazy/romantic/funny/creative ways to ask each other to a dance. I wrote about how I think on one hand it’s cute, but on the other it concerns me on behalf of the less-creative and/or shy kids, and I feel like it puts pressure on the “asker” to do something spectacular and on the “askee” to say yes. (Seriously, just go read it.) J and his girlfriend have been dating for over two years, and…
-
-
Pre-Prom Scare
Yesterday J and I were getting ready to go to our local formalwear shop so he could pick a tux he wanted to rent for prom. He had a coupon that he received from a fellow student and was reading the fine print. “Discount only good on a full rental: tuxedo jacket and pants, shirt, vest, tie, and shoes.” He looked up and asked, “So I have to get a shirt from this place too? I mean, I have white dress shirts.” I answered, “Well, yes. Tuxedo shirts are different from regular dress shirts.” I paused for a moment and continued. “You know, they have a bunch of ruffles down…
-
Teen Interpretation Gone Wrong
Seventeen-year-old J came home from his after school job and found me upstairs in my room, putting away laundry*. I asked him about school and work and then we talked about family plans for the weekend. He mentioned that his girlfriend wanted to know if he was busy tonight. I said, “I don’t know. Are you? All I need for you to do tonight is put away your laundry.” He said, “Okay, I’ll find out if she wants to hang out and…” His text notification went off and he looked at his phone. “Yep, she wants to hang out. So I guess I’m going to put away my laundry, make…
-
Metamorphosis
Ahh, teenagers. It’s tough, you know, trying to parent young people who are caught in the middle of childhood and adulthood. The physical, emotional, and behavioral changes brought on by the stages of puberty can be enough to drive an entire family insane, and it can be a dark time, my friends. Even if your teen is relatively well-behaved in the grand scheme of things (as mine are), puberty can be ugly. As they grow older, teenagers push back against “the system” in their fight to be more independent while still being taken care of within the family unit. They want to make their own decisions, and it’s a struggle…
-
What Do Frogs and John Belushi Have To Do With Teenagers, Anyway?
This post is a Public Service to you all out there: 1. For those of you who with no kids…laugh it up.2. For those of you who have teens right now…commiserate.3. For those of you who have little ones…prepare yourselves.4. For those of you who have grown kids…laugh it up (see how we will all come Full Circle?). One New Year’s Day morning, several years ago, my sister Julie and I were sprawled out in my living room, slightly hungover from our family (in-house) festivities of New Year’s Eve, the night before. (She smartly spent the night instead of getting on the road.) We were exhausted and not feeling much…