Here’s a reality if you are the parent of a teen. Sometimes it is going to hurt your heart.
In fact, this past week I found myself humming the tune of an old 80’s favorite, “Shot through the Heart” by Bon Jovi. Why? Because that is exactly how an incident made me feel.
Teen attitudes can get in the way of joy. Adding to this, teens can be pretty unimpressed by our efforts to make life enjoyable or fun. And oftentimes they tend to see the glass as half-empty instead of half-full.
So here I thought I had discovered a surefire way to make my teen daughter ecstatic. I was imagining her squealing with excitement, hugging me and telling me that I’m the best mom in the world.
She would get on Facebook and tell everyone about the great thing I did. She would text her friends.
Well let me give you a little backdrop to this story. For a couple of years now, we have faithfully watched “Cake Boss” together. If you aren’t familiar with this show, it’s on TLC and it’s about a large Italian family who runs a bakery business. They create these absolutely amazing cakes.
Buddy, who is the star of the show and the head of the bakery, also does a show we watch together called, “Next Great Baker.” So we are big fans. In fact, we dream together about one day visiting Hoboken,New Jersey and going to his bakery.
My husband, who is the manager of a grocery store, informed me that a different grocery store carries “Cake Boss” cakes. I couldn’t believe it. This was the closest I could get to making our dream come true.
When I got to the store, there were only two left. It was pretty pricey, $20 for a cake. But I figured this was a special treat.
Later on I picked her up from a friend’s house and we walked into the kitchen. Remember what I said I was expecting? Her squealing with excitement and hugging me?
Well, she did say with surprise, “Is that really a Cake Boss cake?” With a big smile on my face I replied, “Yes!”
Okay, this is when the arrow was released. “Ugh, it’s chocolate. You know I hate chocolate.”
About the only real lesson I have from all of this is, don’t take these things personally. The wound hurts for a little bit but eventually you realize…this too shall pass.