In Honor of Carmen, who is experiencing her own teenage boy challenge
WTF is wrong with My Kid???
Seriously.
Big Daddy isn't traveling this week...for the first time in months. So I called him from work this afternoon. "You know Our Kid has soccer practice at 6. Can you take him?"
We have a new business presentation on Tuesday, so (needless to say) I'm buried at work.
We agree that He will get him to practice by 6. I'll pick him up at 7:30.
5:40 Big Daddy calls me. "He came home, I was on a conference call, he went outside. Now I can't find him. He didn't take his cell phone and I've yelled for him."
Mother who's dealt with it for months: "Deal with it."
5:50 Big Daddy calls. "He's going to soccer." Read: Pick up the kid at 7:30.
Which I do. I pick up dinner from Chili's for everyone (Kid & Daddy) on the way home.
Kid gets in the car and won't talk to me. Ask him how practice went. All I get is THE HAND. I say, "You don't want to talk?" He shakes his head. I turn the radio on to the pop station he likes and don't talk.
Later I say, "So my kicker got 23 points last night!" [figure fantasy football is one thing he'll discuss with me.]
Look to him and he's squinting. "Do you have a headache?" I ask.
"MOM. YES."
"Well I'm sorry..." I say, turning off the radio. "If I'd known your head hurt...I'll give you some tylenol when we get home..."
"MOM," he cuts me off. I get the hand again.
"OK, sorry," seems like that's all I say to him anymore.
I leave him alone until we get home. I offer him food. Tylenol. Ice for his sore hamstring.
All I get is THE HAND.
It's a teenage thing. I don't take it personally. Today.
Tomorrow, it may reduce me to tears.
(Carmen)
