A Chat with my other son
a newly minted teenager
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote some of my thoughts about my teen years and having a teen to parent.
Let's chat about teens
As of August 4th, I have a teenager, which means I have been a mother for over thirteen years (womb time counts). My feelings about the teen stage are mixed. Growing up in homeschool circles, I was told that maturity was desirable and that I needed to stand out from the crowd of typical teens. So, I did everything I could to avoid being perceived as a t…
As a follow-up, I thought I would ask my newly minted teenage son a few questions about his thoughts and feelings about his teen years. This is a fairly standard example of how a conversation with this kid goes. Short answers to questions I ask, and then he starts rambling on some topic of interest to him. Fun science facts, dumb jokes, and weird movie theories he has seen on YouTube.
MOM: Why is being a teenager so exciting for you?
ETHAN: Cause it is.
MOM: How do you feel about 8th grade?
ETHAN: Good, I guess; I am excited to learn geometry and other science stuff.
MOM: Church has always been a regular part of your life, but you don’t like it. Can you tell me a little about your thoughts on church and faith?
ETHAN: It’s just sooo long. I don’t really believe in Jesus.
MOM: You like to come and talk about life. What does that mean when you ask me that?
ETHAN: Just how it’s going and stuff like that.
MOM: What can you tell me about Dungeons and Dragons, which was what you did with friends for your birthday?
ETHAN: I like it because it can be medieval-dragon-sorcery times or space-futuristic type stuff.
And that was all the interest I could muster in this conversation. So there you have it, a chat with a 13-year-old boy.
For the Ears
Ethan is developing a growing interest in music, and as a teenage boy, he finds canons an excellent addition to a musical number.
For the Eyes
Ethan has long been fascinated with outer space, and we recently found this app: Stellarium. It superimposes images of constellations onto the stars and helps identify them in the night sky. Not only does this do this for familiar constellations, but it also lets you see multiple cultures from across the globe and their histories. If you are up for late-night sky-watching, this app is a must.
For the Taste Buds
Honestly, teen appetites are more about quantity than the quality of food, particularly when that teen has ADHD and time blindness. Ethan has been learning to cook oatmeal this summer, but generally speaking, he just likes to grab food rather than do anything involving preparing it.
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Utterly charming! Also helps understand the experience so many of us adults have had - of having all those wonderful unbounded conversations we've had with younger kids somehow stop as they become teenagers and have to individuate away from us grown-ups!