Parenting - different city, same hormones!

New city, new country, new school, new friends - same teenage hormones kicking in although at the moment they seem to be worse than normal. Each morning I try to put this down as a "New Day", aren't they doing so well at settling & are really getting stuck into their new lives…..then they walk in the door at the end of the school day …

I ask them tentatively how was their day & wait……. "good thanks" from one, silence from the other! So I probe a little further as they raid the cupboards (currently being replenished at least 3 times a week with "goodies") - "Anything happen?" I ask - "not really", "nope"……..

So - watch the mistake - I say "It would be really nice to have a bit more information about your day…" 

With that Long Boy disappears upstairs to his room "to do homework" and Squeeze remains just staring at her snack & concentrating on what else she can eat. So I leave it & think we'll have another "chat" at supper…..

Suppertime - family chat - looking forward to it….. one of the things that we were looking forward to moving here was that Lance would be home every night and we could enjoy family time more. Well - I'm not sure if teenage hormones are set to peak over family suppers but in our house, at the moment, they are! They both start asking for various things they need for school, money for "essential" items, lifts to friends, requests for sleepovers - nothing really as part of a conversation….. then something happens - last night, LB didn't recognise a vegetable in the chicken casserole I had made. I couldn't remember either because it was a new one I was trying - 

LB:  "well I am not eating it unless I know what it is", 

me: "Just give it a go - it won't kill you!", 

LB: "I am not eating it until I know what it is" 

- and so it goes on until LB is rummaging through the bin for the packet & Lance has taken his meal to his room!!!

Makes me feel I am getting it all so wrong but also I want the respect they show other adults outside of the house!!

I take myself to bed & pick up "the Teenage Bible" which was recommended to me by friends with older kids - "Get Out of My Life: But First Take Me & Alex into Town!" by Tony Wolf & Suzanne Franks (available in most countries & certainly on Amazon!). From deep depression to laugh out loud in a few minutes - to the extent that I am reading it to the children & Lance - all lying on our bed & regrouping!! 

I am not sure whether the book gave me any specific help but it certainly entertained not only me but the rest of my ageing family…….. and the veg, in case you are still with me were patty pans!!!