Thursday, March 30, 2006

Scrambled Eggs

If you have ever wondered what happens when you add a pile of hormones to the brain of a 12 year old, I can tell you the answer. You get scrambled eggs. It is entirely possible that scrambled eggs have a higher IQ than a middle school child. It doesn't matter how smart they have been or how well behaved they have been. They hit puberty and all bets are off. It's kind of like watching molasses drip from a spoon. That's what it looks like when they are thinking. And often, like today, they are not thinking at all. Last week my lovely "forgot" to call and check in before leaving where she was about 20 minutes after I called specifically to remind her to call me. Today, even though being told to exit the passenger side of the vehicle, our neighbor boy opened my driver side rear door into traffic, only to have it bent in such a manner that the whole thing has to be replaced now. I now understand why my parents were always so exasperated looking. I guarantee I did the same stupid stuff.

4 comments:

lulu said...

Teenaged brains are less developed than adult brains and the part of the brain that kids use for reasoning is not the same as in adults. Kids use the gut-reaction part, hense the lame reasoning skills.

However, that does't fix the car. Perhaps Jens can dig up the garden for you....with his teeth.

Tenacious S said...

Should this excuse them from following basic rules? I guarantee you that after being punished for not calling, she'll call me next time. And I can promise you that Jens will be exiting on the passenger side. I'm not dropping house rules for the next ten years because she's functioning from her gut. Do I understand that she's a bit "off" right now? Yes. She knows I understand she is changing and is different than she used to be, but I would be raising a lame excuse for a human if I let her off because she gut-reactioned her way into yet another blunder. Can I tell you about the kids her age that got the crap beat out of them in our neighborhood yesterday because they came home after dark? I'm not going to stop enforcing rules. And she's not going to stop being punished. If I stop, please turn me in to DCFS as I will be a negligent parent. They need us now more than ever to help them get through this. This is where bad choices turn into life changing events.

Tenacious S said...

Let me clarify a comment I made. Two kids Emma knows were beat up by some older thugs in the lobby of their building after walking home after dark. I did not mean that other children were being beaten mercilessly by their parents. It was very sad and the very reason why I am vigilant.

lulu said...

Dude, Chill.

I am not telling you to not enforce rules. I am telling you that the reason she is the way she is is because her brain is wack.

If you're this freaked out now, I am going to force-feed you valium when Emma turns 16 and gets her drivers license.