Teens

This week is the end of an era. Like most fizzling out eras do, it heralds the start of a brand new, unchartered era to hurl ourselves head first into. Mr TTC and I are officially outnumbered by teenagers. Yep. Youngest has turned 13, with eldest still hanging on hard to the teenage title for a couple more years. That makes three teens. Not that we are expecting an enormous change. I still hold the car keys, which I’m kidding myself is pivotable.

Back when we were new parents, I remember being aware of the neighbour’s teenagers (who were all lovely, I should say) and looking back at my babe in arms. Holding her tight, I was glad I didn’t have to deal with teenagers. I wasn’t ready and wasn’t sure I ever would be. Now looking at my posse of teenagers, I can’t help looking at our more recent neighbours and thanking my lucky stars we’re passed the toddler stage. (No reflection on him. He is lovely, but still a toddler.)

That’s the thing with your average parenthood journey. It is a gradual movement from one state to the next, where you grow as a parent at the same rate, more or less, as your offspring. Your skills are upgraded gradually, without you realising. It doesn’t happen overnight. Thank goodness.

So. Here we are now with a thirteen year old. Hopefully our first and last lockdown birthday. I offered a few birthday ideas. We talked virtual escape room and/or outdoor movies with friends, but even after three months cooped up with us, he still wanted to spend it with us. I cooked his favourite meal and we watched an epic movie, as a family. He seemed to enjoy it. We may try for something with his friends in a couple of months time.

As part of the build up for the celebrations, I popped out to a garden centre for the first time in ages. The queuing and one way system wasn’t bad. I found another plant to add to his carnivorous plant collection and birthday cards. I can’t believe we’ve kept his Venus flytrap going since last year. At his age, I could only keep them alive for a few weeks. Anyway, three plants now and we’ve not figured out how this new one traps flies yet.

(We did pop into another garden centre and the set up was awful, so we left empty handed.)

Also added to his cacti collection. I love the living stone plant. It is so weird. The other, I liked as it has the most wonderful spiral of leaves when you look from the top, but it still has to prove, to me, that it’s not the top of a Playmobil tree. When you touch it, the ridges feel like plastic. I’m convinced that a toddler off loaded a plastic toy into a plant pot, while being wheeled around the garden centre, and I have bought it. Fingers crossed that I’m wrong.

He had a good birthday. Not just plants, before you wonder. Presents to keep my brand new 13 year old happy. He also loved his homemade cake. My piping is improving, although I did have a Great British Bake Off moment, when the icing started to melt (in the tent) and the strawberries took it in turns to slide off.

I bought myself a couple of houseplants too. A fittonia and a string of hearts plant. After reading Laurie’s post, a few weeks ago, about her mother’s lucky shamrock, I resisted the temptation to buy a purple shamrock plant. Next time. Eldest teen has expressed a desire for a cutting from my string of hearts. Reading up about it, it sounds fairly easy. I seem to have raised a family of plant lovers. I suspect she’ll be after one of the macrame plant holders I’m making this weekend.

My week was peppered with organising and nagging the teens to do the things they need to do. Turning my hair more silver by the day, due to their stubbornness or inertia. I’ve been going gracefully grey for years and thoroughly embracing it. It doesn’t mean I want to turn white overnight as Leland Palmer did in Twin Peaks. Also deciphering emails from school. Mainly trying to figure out which child their latest directive refers to. Whilst all the time acting as the in house cheer leader.

On the upside, the teens are still keeping their bedrooms clean and tidy, and cooking one meal a week, which is a big win for me. I make that three weeks in a row. They bring me up to date with trends and frantically keep me on the right side of politically correct. They make me smile and laugh, and they do make good company.

On the whole, when everything is taken into account, I think three teens may be a good thing. I’ll see how it goes. One thing is for sure, I’m still glad we’re passed the toddler stage.

Linking up to Anne’s word of the week linky.

Word of the Week linky

8 comments

  1. Happy birthday to your youngest and glad that he had a good birthday. It’s reassuring to be reminded that you grow as a parent as your children grow. I used to be fascinated by carnivorous plants when I was a teenager although I’ve never actually owned one. I can see the resemblance between the plant you bought and a Playmobil tree. Hopefully you do have a real plant and not a plastic one! And being in the midst of toddler tantrums at the moment, I can see why you’re glad to be well beyond the toddler years. But tantrums aside, the cute moments are still quite wonderful so I’ll enjoy those while they last! ๐Ÿ™‚ #WotW

    1. Totally agree that the toddler stage has lots of cute moments and I love the wonder of it all, but I’m done with the toddler stage and definitely enjoying time with my older children. Venus fly traps are pretty cool as they move, but I’m enthralled by the beauty of the pitcher plant. Nature is so diverse.

  2. Happy birthday! I have had three teens so far (two more to go!) and my 15 year old 9my first boy) is nearly ready to start driving. Not sure if driving with learning boys will be better or worse than girls!
    I would love to see your macrame plant holder. I remember my mum and her friends have crafting sessions to make them long ago. Although theirs were always brown, cream and orange!

    1. Thank you. He had a lovely birthday. I bet your son is excited about learning to drive and can’t wait to start. I’m positing up my macrame plant holders post over the weekend. I’m really pleased at how they’ve turned out.

  3. Happy birthday to your youngest, what fun, a house full of teens. It get’s better (Worse) trust me ๐Ÿ˜€
    I’ve just ordered my daughter present for her 13th and I’m thinking of secretly arranging for her to see her school friend. We’ve a couple of weeks yet. But she’s not my youngest, It’ll be another 3 years before I have three teens in the house. I’m pretty sure the two adults will still be with us too. Although I did see my daughter looking at apartments to rent in town which were three times her monthly wage…she’s never been very good with money. I’m rambling now…I just wanted to say, when my eldest was a teen he had a passion for cacti too, shame it didn’t last, we could do with more plants in the house.

    1. Thank you. You sound very organized and I hope she enjoys her meet up. Yes to more house plants. You can never have too many. Or maybe you can, and I’ve not reached that point. ๐Ÿ˜€

  4. Oh, happy birthday to your youngest! It really is wonderful to have a houseful of teens. It’s always great to hear their perspective on the world around them, to listen to their daydreams, to see them learn new skills and adapt them to themselves. Hmm…they kind of sound like toddlers/preschoolers ๐Ÿ˜‰ But, really, they are so much fun to have in house!
    Have a fabulous week!!

    1. Thank you. He had a great day. I’m loving having more time with my teens around. You’re right. They do have a different perspective and I love seeing them grow. Always have.

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