Quality Time With Your Teen

It’s so hard with teens/young adult kids. I call them all teens but only two of them technically are. Even my little William is now 21.

You are far away from the days when they are all over you and driving you bonkers. You know, those days when you yearned for a break and people said annoying stuff like “Enjoy these moments” and “It goes so fast?” Yeah, those days. (It’s true, by the way.) But humans aren’t very good at enjoying the moments and understanding how fleeting it all is. We say we realize, but do we?

Mom Gets Lonely

Sometimes when I’m sitting in the living room, alone, I feel lonely. In a house with animals and kids everywhere, I’m lonely. I have been known to yell, “I’m lonely!” And someone will come. It’s usually William and Lizzie. And they will humor me for a few minutes before they slip off back to their electronics.

That’s why when they are ready, I try really hard to be aware and take the opportunity to have a “moment” with them. It’s hard. I’ve got a lot on my plate, too. I want to netflix and chill, too. I want to play with my electronics, too. But, when Lizzie comes in and tells me that she wants to show me a video of something that I don’t have any interest in, I try to make sure to make the time. That’s also why I called William down the other day to help me make a recipe for the first time because I knew he would want to. It would have been quicker on my own but he really did love it. And I did, too.

This Plan Is Not Foolproof

I definitely don’t always get is right but I try really hard to realize it when I can. I miss my chances all the time, I’m sure. So this is not a post about how great I am. 😁 But, it’s still good advice; even if I don’t always take it.

Quality Time With Kaleb

I was reminded of all of this a couple of nights ago. I was sitting in the living room when Kaleb by and asked a question or something. I don’t remember (and who cares).

This was not one of my lonely moments. This was a moment when I was enjoying a glass of wine and scrolling Facebook. But I stopped for what I thought would be just a second and said, “How’s it going?’

He was heading to his room but he paused and said “Good. How’s it going with you?”

Then he came over and sat down. I knew I had to set down my phone and focus on him and I did. We talked for a bit about the gym. I told him that I went the other day and he told me all about the right way to exercise for which goals, etc.

I listened and enjoyed the moment. I think he did, too.

Moments Stick With You

Kaleb talks often about different conversations/simple moments that he had with his grandparents. He talks about his sports conversations with Grandpa or the time when Grandma bought him a couple foot long subs and then brought him home and served him dinner. (That was so her.) And while it’s depressing to think about when I will be gone, I know I really want him to remember things like that with me. I want all of them to have good memories.

Just Do It

A lot of the time, our social moods don’t match and I find myself socializing when I would rather not be. But, would I give up those moments? Not a chance.