It's official - I am the parent of an "adult"

Happy 18 Tee!

Yeah, it's sideways.  Duh....

They're Everywhere!!!

I couldn't resist

I am that mom who always laughed cynically when someone (everyone) would say, "They grow up so fast!"  Really?  That has not been my experience.  Perhaps when they were babies, it did seem that time flew by, but as they got older, and especially throughout the teenage years, I must admit that time seemed to come to a stand-still.  Please don't get me wrong--my kids are the world to me.  But in all fairness, while I probably am not going to get the oh-so-coveted Mother of the Year Award, neither of my kids are going to be receiving the Teenager of the Year Award either. 

But those are stories for another day....or several other days.  Let's just say that I can vouch for the saying that "Payback is a Bitch!"   Certainly gives my parents a good laugh watching me go through these times with my own kids. 

Anyway, so while I never thought time flew by, it really was shocking to wake up last Sunday and realize that I am now the parent of an adult.  It just does not seem possible--for her, or for me.  Of course, her first official act as an adult was to go register to vote.  YAY!  One of the requirements for continuing to live at home after 18 is to vote.  That is simply not optional.  Especially not with the direction this country is headed. 

There are also other requirements for living at home.  First, she must be moving forward in her life.  This means a paying job, in addition to working on her apprenticeship at the tattoo parlor.  She also has to enroll in school.  She wants to learn pastry art (the correct term evades me.)  So she has to be working toward that goal as well.  While I do not mind the piercing and tattooing as her Plan B, she does need to have a Plan A for her life.  While tattooing might be great at 18, 19, 20.....she must stay focused on long-term goals.

I have seen too many of her older friends just stop moving after high school.  I do not want her to be one of those adults.  It still strikes me as odd, and sad, that this new generation seems to have lost that drive and determination that I remember having as a young adult.  However, I am committed to helping overcome these obstacles, as long as she is committed to working toward being a productive and responsible adult.

The truth is, I don't know what I would do if she left home right now.  Maybe it's because I'm a control freak and cannot imagine not being there to help her manage her life.  Maybe it's because, after being a single mom for so long, I am overly attached to my kids.  Maybe it's because I really enjoy spending time with Taylor (most of the time....)  But most likely, it's a combination of all these, and more.

All I know for sure, is that I am proud to be her mother and her friend.  She was a beautiful baby and is now a beautiful young woman.  And I am older than dirt!  haha

Yes, she is an adult!  Not grown up, but an adult!  ;)

Until Next Time, Dream Large....

Another Exciting Episode of "Life With Teens"

I remember the days, a few years ago, when my kids still had brains.  Those precious moments when, in their need to be self-sufficient, they would think for themselves.  They would do for themselves.  They wanted to prove how big they were, so they would actually get off their butts just to show me that they could _________ (insert random chore) on their own--without my help.  I remember actually being irritated by their independence at times.  (WHAT?!)  

Flash-Forward:  My kids have lost their brains, their self-sufficiency, and really, most of their other desirable qualities as well.

This is what I would like to see a little more of:

Sunday is house cleaning day.  Sunday has always been house cleaning day.  It's a family tradition.  Sunday is typically the day when I wake up way too early, come downstairs, and realize that, DAMMIT, my house is a complete disaster again!  Don't get me wrong--we get chores done daily, but for some reason, by Sunday, it looks like we've never picked up a thing around here!

I will admit that I am a total bitch    not always pleasant as I   storm up the stairs screaming my kids' names wake the kids up to get started.  However, in my defense, I usually wait until about 10:00 to get them up, and by that time, I've had at least 4 good hours to assess the damage around here and work up an attitude.

Or maybe I get an attitude because I know what comes next.  The inevitable question.  The one question that makes me really go crazy.....

"What are we supposed to do?"  

REALLY?!  We have been cleaning house on Sunday for as long as I can remember, and they've been an active part of helping to clean since they were in preschool.  We've lived in this particular home for five years.....and you don't know what to do?! 

I can look around and see 100 things that need to be done, without even blinking.  And you don't know what to do?!  

This is the point when I go from irritated to stark-raving-mad lunatic!  I know, I know....there are things I can do to keep it from getting to this point with them.  I could write it all out, for instance.  But WHY?!  These are the same kids who knew exactly what to do when they were 6 and 7.  How can they have forgotten?!

I keep waiting for my kids to come back around to the days when they were old enough to help and young enough to want to help.  To be thinkers, movers, doers!  Yes, the day when I realize my years of  nagging, screaming, begging, and threatening    hard work have finally paid off.....

And as I am daydreaming about this wonderful time, when the brain cells awaken from assumed death, my husband yells from the kitchen, "Honey, where's the mustard?"   

HOLY CRAP!  In the same place it's been for 5 years now......

If my family is called upon to "save the world" I come to the only logical conclusion there is:

WE ARE DOOMED!!!

Argh....Teenagers--Gimme Diapers Any Day!

So, I have been wondering what to blog about today....and I flipped through a million different things in my mind, but did not feel that inspiration.  Until, that is, I had a little temper tantrum a few minutes ago.  Now, the rational part of my brain knows that maybe screaming bloody murder at the top of my lungs isn't the most effective way to get my kids to get off their butts and help our around the house, but....sometimes it feels so damn good!!  So that's what I did!  And guess what happened?!?

NOTHING!  I screamed, I yelled, I pleaded, I begged, and I can't be sure, but I think my head spun 360 and I hurled green guck!  And the response for all that energy???  NOTHING.  They looked at me with perplexed faces, calmly waited for me to either finish screaming or pass out from exhaustion, and then went back to their business of holding down the furniture.....

Okay, to put this in perspective for you, I've downloaded a couple pics to give you a better idea of what it looked like.  Pictures really are worth 1000 words.

This is how I usually react.....

So I really thought that when THIS happened

That they might Notice.....

and I'd see a little of THIS

BUT...

THIS is the Reaction I got....

 So, I did what any mother would do....

 I DECLARED A STRIKE!!!

If memory serves, I believe I even said I was never cooking again! Yes, I know, you know, and they know, that this is not a credible threat. But I told you that I went a little psycho....and it seemed reasonable at the time...

Then I went outside (loudly) and I had myself a little "Time Out"....when I came in, I opened up Microsoft Excel and created chore charts for my almost-grown children.  Yes, it really brings me back to their younger childhood days (imagine me daydreaming).  There is a list of chores for every day of the week.  They are hanging on the fridge for all their friends to see...only thing missing is the "star stickers" to show what good kids they are.  I refuse to spend a dollar on stickers, even to prove my point.  I think grounding them if they don't do them is a more effective way of dealing with them.

Anyway,  I feel better now.  Blogging does that (and so does bitching,) so it must be really cathartic to write a bitchy blog! 

To all the Mommies struggling with sleeping through the night, potty-training, and pre-school.....ENJOY IT!!  You have NO idea what's in store for you later!!  

Until tomorrow......