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OK, so I have to get these off my chest. I love teens and work with them all day everyday, but there are a few things they do that drive me (and I hear parents) up the wall.
Some of these are just plain gross…and I am sure I did them too.
Disclaimer: These are all total exaggerations and grossly broad statements…you get what I mean.
1. They Say “I will,” but then they don’t
I know, I know the hard stuff is hard to follow through on. But with the easy stuff–come on! Make sure to bring home your planner next time, ok? “I will, I promise.” Next time comes, and no planner. I am going to the bathroom go down and get your mom’s signature on this test, ok? “OK, I will.” I come back from the bathroom and they are still sitting there (doing nothing). I ask, “Did you get the signature, oh, I forgot.” It was only five minutes ago, and you weren’t even doing anything else! GRRRRR.
2. Every pen I have has been ‘borrowed,’ chewed upon, and returned
Teens are like a pen vortex. I swear I buy a pack of pens a week. The problem is they manage to take mine or borrow mine and then chew them to death. Sometimes, the next session they hand be back my knarled on, spittle covered pen and are like, “oh, sorry I took this last time, here it is back.” I am always thinking that it couldn’t be mine.
3. They use question voice inflection when they do not have questions
I have a lot of homework? This is a hard essay? Today was a good day? I am not sure if teens do this because they are unsure of their answers, because they are feeling insecure and want to know what I think or this is just they way they talk. I talked to my mom about this and she says I used to do it too. I always have to remind my teens that they sound like they are asking me a question when they tell me what they think, it makes for very confusing conversation. Anyone else notice this?
4. Tissues are shared…so are coughs
Thank goodness I have a good immune system. When I have a client who has a cold or cough…or even when they are not sick, they leave their tissues everywhere (in my purse, on my chair, in my lap) and do not seem to understand that when they blow their nose and then touch my hand…it’s gross! I have tried to explain this, but they think it is funny.
A note on chewing pens: More than once has a client been chewing on a pen, then waved it around and spread spittle all over me and their homework.
5. They love my purse, and my car, and my phone
I do not answer my phone during clients, but I occasionally will take it out for the calculator or to book another session and you should see their eyes light up. They always want to play with it and look at my texts or contacts…I do not know why. I am not so cool, so I do not know what they expect to find. They also love to look in my purse when I go to the bathroom, I have caught more than one getting out gum or mints or just peeking. I also once had to drop someone off somewhere and she was so so so so so so so so excited to go into my car see my CDs and the books I am reading…I am really not that interesting, and it can be pretty awkward when I have a gushy text from my boyfriend and my fifth grade client gets a hold of my phone. (Think a long chorus of “Vanessa has a boyfriend, Vanessa has a boyfriend”)
I love my teens, but I am going to have to think of some sort of a spittle catcher or purse lock = ).
I wrote this article for the Momtrends blog and wanted to re-post part of the article here for my readers! Enjoy…
Carpool line = Fall Fashion Show?
Bake Sale Display = New Shoes Display?
Pool Party Birthday = Latest Bikini Day?
I was lucky, my parents have pretty decent fashion sense, but there are a few universal Mommy fashion do’s and don’ts that I have been asked to explore. First, I wanted to breakdown the different mommy styles I have categorized.
1) I-Dress-Like-My-Kids Style
It’s always the worst when you have parents that dress like their kids. Dads should not wear untied Vans sneakers and Mom’s should not be wearing low-rise jeans. Now, don’t get me wrong, my mom and I borrow shirts from each other. But, this is a style where moms really are trying to look young.
2) I-Don’t-Have-A-Style
You buy what’s on sale, what’s on the top of your drawer or whatever your sister got you for Christmas last year. These are usually pretty cool; as long as you follow the tips below and somewhat match.
3) I-Dress-to-Remember?
I put a question mark here, because if you read the title of this post and thought, “well, I wear the same clothes I did 20 years ago.” Then this is you. These are parents who dress in their favorite decade—hippies, hipsters or funky.
News Brought to you by one of our fabulous teen writers: Shannon is a 16 year old from Maryland. She enjoys writing, is pro recycling, and loves the Jonas Brothers.
Love: The Child Health Guide, a new health resource for parents. The Child Health Guide is the only health resource in the world that uses live-action video of real children with real symptoms and illnesses. It helps parents better understand their child’s symptoms by allowing them to see and hear other children with similar symptoms.
There is still time to apply for the 2008 HASTAC/MacArthur Digital Media and Learning Competition (deadline October 15). This year they have launched a new award, the Young Innovator award, that is designed to help U.S. applicants aged 18-25 further develop and implement their most visionary ideas on how digital media and technology can further learning. Check it out here.
Thinking Forward TV is a daily (Monday-Friday), 5-15 minute video recording that connects parents with ideas and strategies for thriving during the middle school years.
I will be doing an awesome political event tomorrow on a panel talking to young people about issues in this election, check it out! MTV Rock the Vote will be there, I am so excited.
I asked my Teen Influencer group the following question this week: What is your biggest pet peeve about what your parents do? What annoys you the most and you wish they would stop?
Answer: “The biggest thing that i hate that my parents do would have to be when they see me looking at a cute guy in public and then they try and get the guys attention to embarasse me. They really annoy me though, when we’re in the car and my dad will turn the music all the way up and my mom will start sining and dancing in the car!! It drives me crazy!!!! Lol :) So that’s my parents for ya!” -Alia, 13
If you would like to submit a question or are interested in having a teen you know join the group, just email vvanpetten@rrules.com.
Shannon is a 16 year old from Maryland. She enjoys writing, is pro recycling, and loves the Jonas Brothers.
Marriage.
It seems to be getting closer and closer lately. Whenever we do thinking exercises in English or Ethics, the question “Where do you think you’ll be five years from now?” usually comes up, and someone always answers with “I see myself happily married.” When you think about it, five years really isn’t a long time. Five years from now I’ll be twenty one. For some people twenty one means legal bar hopping, but apparently for others, it means being forever committed to another person.
Especially with celebs like Bristol Palin getting married to their teenage boyfriends, the popularity of marriage has spiked dramatically.
So what do we think? Well, all I can give you is the perspective of yours truly: (Forgive me if my opinion seems somewhat cynical.)
Honestly, I’m not sure what to think about people marrying so young. I think commitment is something that is taken dangerously lightly in this day and age. People of all ages go into marriage with a ring on one hand and a backup escape plan in the other. That’s why the divorce rate is so ridiculously high.
It seems to me that many of the young couples that get married are naive. They think that marriage is like the relationships that we see on television and in movies–completely ‘lovie-dovie’; all sunshine and ice cream kisses; laying in the street, fingers laced, toying with death as you watch the traffic lights flick from red to yellow to green. They forget to mention that being married means being legally bound to another person. Having to deal with them and their issues on a daily basis, regardless of how your day went. Having to work with them to keep the relationship fun and interesting.
People are constantly growing and changing, especially when they’re young and are still trying to figure out who they are as human beings. The likelihood that two people can go through this type of self-discovery while successfully co-existing with a mate just seems very slim.
To me, marrying young seems to be the equivalent of throwing your childhood away. I just can’t understand why someone would willingly put their dreams on hold to work on a relationship that has a fifty percent chance of failing. Young couples often have to give up on certain things, certain experiences, certain opportunities that are likely to only come around once.
And why? Because they’re in love? What do teens know of love, really? Can we really distinguish the difference between love and lust at this age? Can we truely fall in love? Do soul mates exist?
Can teens know the answers to these questions?
My answer: I don’t know.
Youth is something that can’t be repeated. As each day passes we grow a little older and lose a little bit more of the innocence that we once possess as children. Marriage only speeds up that
by Lori Hanson
