I have been mother of a teenager for 2 years now, more specifically a teenage boy and I have another coming through the ranks real fast, due to arrive next year. Lots is said about having a teenager in the house, I hear heaps of stories about smart mouthing, moodiness, door slamming, money draining and and the down right exhausting nature of living with the teenager - but most of that comes from my mum.
Gaw! Could I really have been like that?
Nooooo, she must be talking about my sister!
I am certainly no expert in teen wrangling, but I do recall having a really difficult and painful adolescence and there are many past experiences I would really prefer my kids not to have. I find myself intensely interested to find out more about teens, their world and how I can build / provide an environment that nurtures, protects and inspires my kids as they develop and grow into adults. An environment that does not stifle individuality but promotes free thinking, strong values and resilience.
Around the bloggersphere there are heaps of mummy blogs all showcasing their beautiful babes and sweet lovely lives, recording precious times with their little ones, sharing ideas and exchanging info about products, kiddie craft, excellent ways to address the day to day challenges of motherhood.
I know this because I see so many of these blogs, they continue to blossom and multiply, in fact I started blogging life as one of these mummies. But now time is marching on and my little 'uns are growing but the blogs that share ideas on teens and the nitty gritty views on bringing them up and surviving simultaneously seems limited in numbers.
I have been chatting with a few other bloggers, bloggers that started 5, 6, 7 years ago. I hear them all lamenting the same thing " what do I blog now the kiddies have grown?" Well I am suggesting there is still a truck load left to blog about, especially around this precious epoch of time.
Naturally, posts are going to be a bit different, perhaps with less photos of "first moments" - I think we can all agree few young blokes are going to pose for a shot of their " first shave" or a snap of some emerging whiskers! And it just simply is not good form to sneak up and try get a "happy snap" of stolen kisses / snogs in the lounge room with the first girlfriend or boyfriend. Uncool mum, uncool.
But what does lay before us is blogging about our approach to the experience of facilitating a good, stable passage of our "babies" through the maze of adolescence. What we have here, is a perfect forum to share ideas on managing the inevitable struggles of homework, curfews, hormones and proud moments. I believe it is quite possible to continue our blogging journeys and maintain our connections as mothers, sharing ideas on how to bring up young adults yet still maintain a functioning and successful family unit that still "plays" together.
I am planning on getting some of these ideas rolling out in the coming months, I really hope that some of you join me and commence a new blogging dialogue and together we can identify other bloggers doing the same.
So in the meantime, I will share some of the things I have learned about teenage boys.
- They don't always smell
- Some do actually use syllables
- I am never to break into dance EVER again when I am in Jay Jays ( hipster shop) when I hear "Pump up the Jam" - it just embarrasses everybody involved. There I have made this vow publicly
- It IS all about them
- Breakfast cereal IS a food group of its own
- It is really cool getting a hug from a young handsome man
- Teaching a teen relaxation techniques and self care as part of time management, is actually appreciated and considered helpful
- You need to let some cursing slide - it is better for them to learn when and where is or is not appropriate for colourful language.
I'll keep you updated as I learn more, maybe you can add to the list? I would love to hear from you.