Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Teen Trouble

My boys have provided me with some challenges as they muddle their way through their teen years.
But truthfully, they aren't nearly as bad as I was as a teenager.
When I grew up, we thought nothing of drinking and driving along country roads that rose and fell like roller coasters making our stomachs drop. We emptied cans and bottles and flung them out the window like grenades in front of farmhouses.
When I talk with Tracey, my best friend from high school, we admit that we are lucky to be alive.
Today's teens seem much wiser. They talk about designated drivers. They talk about ways to avoid fist fights and whether peer pressure can convince them to do things they shouldn't.
Perhaps, more surprising to me is the despair I feel when I learn that one of my boys has broken a rule. Not because they did something that most teenagers are doing, but because I must now discipline them. And I'm realistic about the fact that whatever consequences they face will probably not dissuade them from this typical teenage behavior.
As we reprimanded Spencer on Saturday, he apologized.
"I'm sorry you found out."
And truthfully, that's what he meant. He wasn't sorry for the behavior but sorry that he upset us.
So, as a parent, I must ask myself, am I telling the boys they need to stop their typical teen behavior or am I only saying they need to be better at hiding it from me?

3 comments:

BFF said...

At least he's sorry you found ou. Means he loves you. Was it good beer?

Linda said...

I have been through that and I have found out years later all of the things they did and that I never knew about. Just keep plugging along and doing the best you can. That's all you can do.

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

My son and daughter were really good teens and never gave me any trouble, but one day I was in my son's room for some reason, felt tired and laid down on his bed for a minute and felt something hard under his pillow......an unopened quart bottle of beer !!! Of course, he was holding it for a friend whose mom wasn't as understanding as me....LOL

your boys sounds like typical teens. Just hope they don't drive while under the influence.

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