Parenting Teens: I’d Rather Poke a Tiger with a Stick

As a mom, I do not shirk from what has to be done. I have given birth (4 times), I have cleaned up poopy diapers that some may demand a hazmate suit before approaching; I have endured moody teenage girls and whiney 8 year olds. I am not woman lacking in valor. However, I’d rather poke a tiger with a stick that try to get my 17 year old out of bed after he has been up all night.

Why was the 17 year old up all night? Usually it is just because he is 17, it is a Friday and as far as he is concerned Saturday mornings do not exist. This Friday he was up all night at a church sponsored youth lock-in at a game park. Not a park with live animals, trees and grass, one with an arcade, a putt-putt course and go-carts. Since this is a church event and no one asked me to chaperon, this is in my mind a more legit reason to be up all night than the usual: mom and dad are asleep, let me play video games all night because as far as I am concerned Saturday mornings do not exist.

The boy has to get up because he plays travel hockey and has to been on the bus by 10am. We have to leave the by 8:30am to get him and his buddy to the bus on time. He went to bed at 6:30. He has to be up at 8. Point me to the nearest tiger.

Why, when we have a perfectly functioning older male living in the household, am I the one facing this daunting task? Because tired sexy honey is fast asleep after chaperoning all night (no one asked him, he volunteered!) and it would be far more difficult to get him up to get the 17-year-old up than finding a tiger locally.

I approach quietly so as not to startle the child. Quite doesn’t work. I call his name with increasing volume until the rafters are shaking and the dogs are barking along with my yelling. Ichabod does not wake up with a grateful heart. He did assert he is wake. I leave returning 4 minutes later and repeat the process. Accused of lying about the first summons, I demand feet on the floor before I leave. His response was not worth repeating. Ichabod is never vulgar but he can be a mite rude when awaked with loud decibels. The fact that he doesn’t awake to anything short of yelling (I might try ice water next time, see if he likes that better) is irrelevant to him.

When finally vertical, he had to pack, a task he assured me was fully completed. I made him some egg sandwiches and still snarling, boy, food and equipment make it into the car. As food (an enormous, stunning amount) makes it way into the boy, there slowly emerges the nice young man that is my son. I no longer feel the need to find a tiger to poke. He manages to stay awake on the ride to the bus because he knows the odds of me getting lost are very good. (I did not get lost on the way there; the trip back home was another story).

After depositing boys and equipment at the bus, in from of his 17-20 year old teammates, my son hugged his mommy good bye.

He also is a person not lacking in valor.

Comments

[gina]

I have a moody teenage 15 yr old girl! So glad to hear I'm not alone. Would love for you to post a topic on teens and dating, or teen girls and sex. I find it so hard being a mother of a teen girl today and I see you have been through it all.

[Karen]

Ah! They joys of raising teens. Hugs.

[purpledsky]

Aaaaw! :-)

few minutes of nastiness is worth enduring :-)