By nature, I can be somewhat excitable. I have my own rosy fantasy of how I think life should go and when it comes to my kids, I don’t always keep up with the times and reality no matter how hip I try to be. But, with a house full of teens, I have been working to keep my excitable nature under control and at least appear as if I cannot be shocked.
I remember being a kid myself and how I absolutely loved to be shocking for my parents (not so much my grandparents since I really wanted them to think I was their adorable and perfect granddaughter.) I wanted them to know that I was living my own life out there on the wild side and that they were far too stuffy for likes of me. Of course, I was never really a wild child and even though I was extremely strong-willed, I never really got in any serious trouble. But I so wanted to be exotic and shocking!
My children, of course, think I am relatively square, but I did learn years ago that if I didn’t get excited and react to their attempts at shocking me, they soon tired of their ploy and went on to being more reasonable. That is not to say they haven’t “got me” a few times—but I’m definitely getting better at it. I think the reality of being surrounded by tough-talking teens on a daily basis has inspired me to master this one.
Not allowing myself to be shocked does not mean I don’t care, I just need to keep from getting emotional and hysterical. My kids seem to respond better to me when I can keep both my feet on the ground and my voice at a reasonable decibel.
Also: They Are Not Miniature Adults
Expressing Oneself Means Less Acting Out
Keeping “Family Issues” in Perspective