Wednesday, March 14, 2012

My child would never


If you are a parent who has brought up teenagers you may be able to relate?

I remember before my eldest (Carmen) turned 13, bragging about how sensible she is and how she would be the model teenager.


Haaa, ha, ha ha ha ha.

I definitely had a shitload of delusional stuck up my ass.

I think it is harder for the eldest because everything they do, they do first and it shocks the hell out of  their parents.

When Carmen French kissed a boy, I grounded her.  My excuse was because she had lied about it but the truth is I was in completely freaked out by the fact that my little girl was French kissing.

Carmen seemed to go overnight from being a very proper, overly mature child to being a complete hooligan.

She did just about all the things that a parent hopes their teen will never do. She also unfortunately inherited my terrible temper.

Things that really set of her very easily pushable buttons at the time:
  • “You say you want to be a writer, but you cannot think of anything more expressive to say than ‘Fuck you’”
  • “You say that you are going to live of the land and give up all worldly goods, what about books?  They chop down a lot of trees for books you know.”
  • “You look like every other teenager at the mall.”
  • “You say you are not a Barbie but you take two hours to do your hair and make up”

She draped herself in black (because she was different) and holed herself up in her room, we renamed her “Resident Evil”.

History definitely repeats itself I dressed almost identically at the same age and thought I was so unique.

A few months before she turned 18, a beautiful butterfly emerged out of the black cocoon.  She ditched the 
Wednesday look and had to endure oddly coloured hair while the black grew out.


She is so intelligent, compassionate, beautiful, funny and talented.

Carmen turns 21 this month!!!!

PS: Jason, thanks for being there for Carmen when she needed it the most. 

12 comments:

  1. Carmen is one of the most interesting people I know! Lucky Mommy!

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  2. I remember thinking I was so different when I was a teenager, and yet all of my rebellions were so typical.  Funny how we can't see ourselves (or our children) with 20/20 vision.

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  3. Emily I think it is good that we always see our children in a better light than others would.  When they are teens and screwing up they need our support. 

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  4. Yay!  Happy birthday!  She's beautiful!

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  5. Thank you Jennie.  I will tell her that a lovely lady with a tyrannical dog sends her birthday wishes.  

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  6. She turned out to be a butterfly...I hope my daughter will spare me the drama...though didn't spare my mom the drama LOL 

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  7. I know it is a cheesy saying but when your child becomes a teenager "hope for the best but prepare for the worst"  some teens are really easy. (I don't know any of those personally)

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  8. My son is on the opposite end of the spectrum.  He is smart, funny and handsome and wants to stay in his room playing online games with one friend.  I can't push him out of the door...

    She is very beautiful:)

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  9. With Carmen it was novels she did not want to leave her room because she read from morning to night.  Even the party animal stage left her quickly.  Her boyfriend always complains that she never wants to go out, although at the moment she works long hours so she does not have the time. 

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  10. I so relate! My oldest just turned 16.  The middle school years was where it went downhill for awhile and like you said because she is the oldest this was all brand new to me.  I wanted so badly to be a cool parent but I find I'm not nearly as cool as I had hoped.  I try but like you said certain things just freak you out when you envision them as the little baby you brought home and now suddenly they are "resident evil"..That comment was hilarious!! And yet so true. Glad to see she turned out so awesome!

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  11. Hi Holly she is 21 today.  Last night my husband and I were talking about the one terrible thing that she did as a teenager that practically turned me grey over night.  We were laughing about it and back then I never thought I would be able to laugh about it.  I was thinking we have labelled them "teenagers" and I especially complain about them all the time, but I forget what a confusing period it is this transition between childhood and being an adult.  Keep the humour going Holly it helps a lot.  

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