My name is Elisa and I am a mom of a TEEN girl. GASP!
I know, I know, I tried avoiding it as much as I could but she became a teen anyways. Gone are the days of Barbies and Littlest Pet Shop. Of carelessly singing “Sweet, Sweet Night n’ Gale” into the wind. Replaced by make-up, nail polish and clothes. Lots and lots of clothes.
Enter the years of hormonal outbursts, uncontrollable eating, and strange sleeping patterns. Of friends being MORE important than family, and of boys!
Again, I tried avoiding this.
But now that I’m in this mess, how do I get out? Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I want my kid to skip the teen years (if this is ever a possibility please let me know), I just want to survive it.
So far I’ve come up with my own “Survival Kit” on how to survive the TEEN years:
- Unlimited DATA and WiFi
- Bottomless supply of money
- Junk food. Lets be real, I buy fruits and veggies, and make home cooked meals. But, it’s all about the junk food.
- Wine 😉
Okay, maybe this is a bit of a joke. But I’m on survival mode now.
As per Merriam-Webster dictionary; the word teen means misery and affliction. I don’t know about you, but it seems pretty accurate. They seem miserable most of the time, and they’re pretty good at causing affliction (especially when they don’t get their way)
As a teen I remember thinking that my mother didn’t understand me, that she didn’t care about my problems or my ever changing emotions. But now that I’m a mom, I’ve realized that I have no clue how to handle it all and neither did my mom. Again if this is just me, then let me know how you’re surviving.
Most of the time I can’t remember the 2753 friends she has, or the story lines that attach them all in some way. I can’t keep up with the roller-coaster of emotions that change from one moment to the other. For some reason I seem to think everything is “TOO short” and “too tight”. (When did my little girl grow body parts?) By the way, when did she start lying about so many things, or better yet, when did I stop believing her? Oh, the uncertainty of whether she’s telling me the truth, or a half truth, or a semi truth. And the EYE ROLLS!, well, those have become a part of our daily conversations.
I know what you’re thinking. Yes I LOVE her very much, she’s my kid and we’re kind of stuck with each other, but let’s be serious for a moment. Sometimes I feel that all she wants is for me to move out, leave the credit card and come back with food.
If you came into this blog post thinking that I would somehow give you insight, information, or a guide on how to survive your teenager, I’m sorry. I really am, because at the moment I’m a bit like a deer in headlights. Trying to figure it all out. Taking deep breaths. Losing it sometimes. Having a glass of wine other times. Praying like crazy that I don’t mess her up in some way. You get me right?
Aren’t we all trying to figure things out all the time, because it never fails that as soon as you get good at handling a certain stage, they move on to the next? They keep changing, advancing faster than we can keep up.
I guess for now, I’ll have to grow patience, lots of patience. I’ll have to remember how tough it was to be a TEENager. The hormones, feelings, pressure from school and activities, parents, crushes, and all that crap that comes with boys. I’ll make sure to let her know I’m here, present, for anything she needs. I’ll try and keep an open mind when she talks to me about her “problems” and give her the best advice I can.
But most definitely I’ll be keeping a bottle of wine near by.
If you’re a parent of a teen, how are you handling it?
Omg,, I just read this outloud to my teen girl and we are both dying!!! This is everything!! You are NOT alone my friend!! Thanks so much for sharing!!! Xoxo
Feels like lonely land sometimes, but I know I’m not. I hear boys are easier, maybe there’s hope for me. ?
OMG… NOW insert HOW do I raise teen boys! 2 at once AAUGH!!! 🙂 This is awesome 🙂 Moms of teens MUST unite. LOL
Mom of teens unite! ??
I hear boys are smellier ? Is it true?
lol
YES!!! It’s all true LOL!!!
I’ve already hit a wall with my 11 year old tween, not sure how I’ll survive the teen years.
We’ve successfully raised two teen boys without the teen angst that seems to accompany teen girls, so we need all the luck we can get. And, yes, boys are smellier by far…
I’m with you, wall hit. Good luck to us in the years to come.
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