Here’s why I love this comic strip very much.
One might read this and think its creators are saying, “Damn teenagers. They have no vocabulary. They never talk to us. They never TELL us anything.”
I see something completely different in this comic strip.
1. Teenagers are moody.
2. Teenagers have trouble figuring out what’s bothering them.
3. Even if they know what’s bothering them, they have trouble articulating it.
4. Parents should keep their questions simple. Like, “Trouble?”
5. Teenagers still need shoulders and hugs, even if their arms hang limp at their sides when their heads are on your shoulder while you’re hugging them.
6. Teenagers still need their parents to say “Poor Baby,” sometimes.
7. What parents think is the start of a conversation is often what the teenager thinks is the end of one.
8. Parents need to do less than they think to be of help to their kids. I mean, look at this comic. All the mom says is, “Trouble?” and “Poor Baby,” and the teen is smiling and eating an apple again.
9. As with so many things in life, less is more.
10. I need to join a chapter of Overanalyzers Anonymous.
11. Teenagers need their parents. And so do certain 43-year-olds who live in Baltimore.
Have a beautiful and easy Mother’s Day, from everyone here at The Worthington Pos!t (*cough* okay, it’s just me – I’m the only one here *cough*)
Nice. Love it. XOXO
Thanks, Rach. 🙂 xoxo
I survived the teenager years…three times. That comic strip portrays the relationship perfectly, as does your list of rules.
Thank you! Yeah, I’ve got the two teenagers and the one 9 YO. Not quite out of the woods yet… 🙂
Almost there. You have a few hair graying years yet. Your reward is not that far off. That is the day your kid calls and says with no apparent provocation, “Thanks mom!” This will be prompted by 1, having had to do their own laundry, 2. go grocery shopping with a list they made themselves, 3. stayed up night with a toddler with a tummy virus, rendering every household linen unfit for human touch.
You’ll know then they finally appreciate your work,,,and that the Mom curse finally passed to the next generation..
lolol! I can’t wait! 🙂
Happy mother’s day, my friend. Poignant piece.
Aw, thank you, Holly! Have a lovely and restful day, yourself. 🙂
I love you list of rules. I will keep it in mind when my two (little) boys reach their teenage years.
Thanks! At the very least, keep the comic strip as a reminder! 🙂
This is perfect. My son is nominally only 7, but has seemingly started to dabble in aspects of the teen years (no doubt through terrifically terrible parenting faults of my own) far earlier than expected. I’ve been dimly discerning these truths from the cryptic exchanges, as above, stunning me from my typically verbal child. The list above is w e l l appreciated, AW. Remarkably, I think I can apply it with good results, already. Thanks! Hope your mother’s day was easy, too, indeed. Going with the flow helps!
Today has been lovely, thanks largely to comments such as yours. 🙂 nd you’re right! It can be used with kids of ALL ages. Including the age of 43. *ahem* I’m so glad you stopped by!