Last week my 13 year old, formerly known on this blog as My Beautiful Daughter and now re-christened as Teenage Daughter, told me that I’m a very boring person, no offense.
For weeks there’s been this not-quite-tension-but-weirdness with her and me.
Like things that she used to find funny that I did, she now finds annoying. And although she’s not overtly rolling her eyes at me, it’s implied in many, many sentences.
“I love you and everything,” she told me, “but you’re just really boring.”
“I am?” I droned on.
“Yeah. You are. You don’t have anything interesting to say. Like ever. It’s annoying.”
“I like to think that I have some interesting stories,” I monotoned.
“I’d like to hear one,” she crossed her arms.
“Well, I saw a program on the television set today that there was a reckless youngster who tried to jump on a moving train and her legs were severed.”
“That’s DISGUSTING.”
“Disgusting, yes, but a cautionary tale. Let us discuss the lessons we can learn from it.”
“What kind of a person would try to jump on a moving train?”
“It was some kind of a college prank/dare situation.”
“It’s not very smart.”
“You are right, it is not very smart. Very foolish. Very dangerous.”
“Did they have video of it?”
“No.”
“Re-enactment?”
“No.”
“That’s so terrible!”
“Very tragic. Very sad not to have legs.”
“Wow.”
“I know. Pretty interesting story I told you there, right?”
“OMG. You just ruined everything by asking that. Because it’s like you just want attention or something. YOU ARE SO DIFFERENT MOM. YOU USED TO BE INTERESTING! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?”
“I do not know. Perhaps I’ve always been very boring and you just recently became a lot more interesting and so I seem a lot more boring in comparison?”
“I didn’t even listen to that.”
“Ok, honey. Don’t jump on moving trains.”
“Duh.”
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
Awwwwww! Welcome to the club!
Yes, the club meets every day, usually in your kitchen.
I didn’t mind the stage where I got boring and embarrassing. Eye rolling central.
…or the stage where apparently I kept stating the bleedin’ obvious.
I even went along happily with the -you are so dumb and I know everything era.
BUT, I turn 50 in 2 weeks time and the seventeen year old has moved to sympathy. She’s so understanding of my failings it’s outrageous.
Oh mum you shouldn’t try and keep up with newer music/computers/technology/fashion/anything.
All of a sudden I’m the subject of pity….and I don’t like it one bit.
Ah teenagers, there is nothing quite like it.
Better boring with legs than exciting but legless, I always say!
Twitter: Mamabirddiaries
January 31, 2012 at 8:41 pm
Ditto!
I know it was only because of God’s GRACE that my 2 girls lived to see their 20th birthday! Today I am grateful to say they are 22 and 26 and I enjoy spending time with them again. There’s a wonderful story about children being dogs and teenagers turn into cats. It explains what happens to our precious children:
http://www.emkpress.com/pdffiles/parentguidePOM.pdf
It’s what I needed to hear to cope with all the changes and new attitudes.
Twitter: AnnaLefler
January 31, 2012 at 8:38 am
Okay, these are the conversations I have with myself.
Apparently, my “inner voice” is an eye-rolling teenage girl.
*Sigh*
A.
You just have different reference points.
It’s not that you became boring, it’s that SHE became a teenager. Next time she wants a fun story, tell her Montana borders the Yellowstone caldera and it’s likely to blow up during spring break – don’t worry, she won’t feel a thing and it’s really interesting.
Oh, you’ll have some great stories to tell with this phase of her life. I have a six year old and a nine year old and I can already tell how much fun the teenage years are going to be (NOT). My daughter already has an attitude, so I best be preparing for battle now!! Good luck with yours!! LOL! Can’t wait for the next adventure!!!
*Apparently* I was like this when I turned 13.
According to my boring mother.
Twitter: wendiaarons
January 31, 2012 at 10:22 am
That story would have been more interesting to her if the severed leg person was wearing $69 denim shorts when she jumped on the train. THINK, woman.
Twitter: alotofnothing
January 31, 2012 at 10:34 am
And now for the next 6 years until my eldest is 13, I will be reminding her of just how lucky she is to have me as her mother, in hopes that it’s so ingrained in her brain by the time she’s a teen, she’ll have no choice but to appreciate me.
I know… pipe dreams.
*yawn*
Over the next few years she will get smarter and smarter while her parents will get not only more boring but dumber and dumber, until she feels far superior. Sorry, but it will take another fifteen years after that to reverse that attitude until Mom is right again.
Twitter: lainiegal
January 31, 2012 at 11:19 am
I have a 14 year old daughter……..
My daughter thinks I’m boring now, and she’s only 7. By the time she’s a teenager, I’ll be like watching The English Patient.
Oh God No! The teen years they are coming for me too soon!
You know you can’t win this one, right? In the eye’s of our teen-aged daughters, we can be only one of two things – boring or embarrassing. I’d try for embarrassing. 😉
i feel for you marinka. and I usually go for embarassing!
I’m laughing and getting scared at the same time. I honestly don’t remember if I ever treated my mom that way and I have two girls and is that what I have to look forward to?
my kids are 11 and 14 which makes me embarrassing and clueless respectively. oh, and wierd. that last one is by unanimous vote–it’s the one i’m most proud of. but boring? it sounds like you need to step up your game. don’t you have a Po costume? (hopefully i’m thinking of the right blog). If so, maybe it’s time to get that out and pick her up from school or something!
I’m with Wendi…you must learn to embellish.
The girl that jumped off the train lost her legs because the TOO SHORT leg opening on her Abercrombie & Fitch denim shorts got caught on the subway door.
THAT would’ve made her listen. With interest. She would’ve wanted to know if the shorts that looked more like a belt than shorts were on clearance. If on clearance, well, then…that explains it.
THAT would never happen with full price shorts and then you’d have a conversation.
*I am still 13 years old*