Teens, I feel, are a much-maligned tribe, unfairly so. Of course they test your patience, empty the fridge, never empty the dust-bin, mess up the home and your schedule too. Teens mean smelly socks, empty juice cartons, shut doors, noise and drama, lots of drama….
Okay okay.. wrong road!!! Went down the wrong road there.
Coming back to the point. Teens aren’t really as bad as they’re made out to be.
The trick is to pause and reflect. If only we take time to understand them, we’d realise they can be an absolute blessing to have around. And if you’re a rare parent (like me) who has teen twins of different sexes, well then you have the world at your feet.
Let’s go then.
1. They keep you updated
Want to know what ‘cap’ or ‘slay’ means? Need to figure out that strange looking dance step in an Insta reel? They’ve got it. They’ll tell you about sheet masks and music releases , Insta trends and tech trends, new releases and all the possible BTS gossip. Your teen is your live-in pop culture translator.
I did a whole post on trying to decode their lingo. Do check it out.
2. They’re the best fashion police
Try to step out in your comfy, slightly outdated jeans, and BAM—instant judgment. ‘Are you seriously wearing that?’ they’ll ask, as if you’ve committed a crime against humanity. Heaven forbid you try something trendy; you’ll either be labelled ‘cringe’ or be accused of ‘trying too hard.’ Meanwhile, they’re okay to be strutting around in hoodies three sizes too big, because it’s ‘a vibe,’ or jeans that are ripped all the way to their ankles and that’s just fine.
3. They keep you grounded
If your self-esteem ever gets too high, don’t worry – your teenager will bring you back to earth.‘Great ‘boomer’ energy,’ they’ll tell you nodding in appreciation and giving you a thumbs up. My advice: Take that as a compliment, block out the bit about the boomer and roll with it.
4. They’re your all-time any-time alarm system
Early morning, you’re lazing in bed, wondering if you should give your yoga session a miss, and you’ll hear the beep beep beep of the microwave. That’s the leftover pizza (or doughnut) being heated up before your teen turns in after a hectic night of gaming.
The clink of the pan or the crash of a jar and you can kiss your Sunday siesta goodbye. They’re in the kitchen because they’re hungry, again/already. Who needs too much sleep, anyway?
On a related note you’ll never need a burglar’s alarm. They’re awake when you’re asleep and you’re awake when they turn in.
5. They keep life dramatic
Always. Hours before his exam, he’s misplaced his Aadhar card. You’re scrambling to get an online copy, rushing around, downloading, printing, ‘Sorry,’ he says. A few weeks later at the airport, he’s left it at the security check.
It’s traditional day at college and her life is over because she doesn’t have the exact shade of dupatta. There’s a math test and she’s undone because ‘Why does one even have to study math in a liberal arts course?’ You’ll get comedy, tragedy, suspense, and a bit of horror, all in one.
6. Yet they teach you to chill
You’re leaving for work and you ask your teen for a pair of socks. She hands you a mismatched pair – a Batman sock and a Superman sock.
‘What??’ she asks at your expression, ‘You have a problem with DC?’
Obviously, were on very very different pages of very very different books.
So you try to explain.
‘One, they’re MISMATCHED! Two, how long do teen girls continue wearing superhero socks? Also, I don’t care a whit if they’re Marvel or DC.’
‘But they’re no-show socks, so how does it matter?’ She asks, puzzled.
That dear friends is irrefutable logic.
And so you get used to going to work with Superman on one foot and Batman on the other feeling very Black Widow, oh sorry Wonder Woman.
7. You always have a ready supply of chips and chocolates
You buy chocolates and chips for the kids! Sure you do. But sneaking a bite of those Doritos or snagging some chocolates is your little parenting win and you’re NOT going to feel guilty about it.
8. They’re the best tech support
They will sigh dramatically and roll those eyes right to the back of their heads but they’ll fix your Wi-Fi, show you how to use Instagram filters, or explain why your TV remote is acting weird. They know their stuff.
9. They’re the best huggers
You’ll be in the kitchen one eye on the milk that’s set to boil, another on the bottle of water filling up at the filter and a third (if you had one) on the eggs frying in the pan and they’ll come and drape themselves on you with a mamaaaaaa!!! And in that moment nothing matters – not the boiling milk, not the lost adhar cards, not the torn jeans because they truly are the best huggers ever.
10. Lastly, they’re solid fodder…
…for dinner table conversations, for articles and blog posts, for future memoirs or even a sitcom — who knows!! Provided you survive it all, that is.
Aww this is so wholesome. ❤️ You are blessed to have best of both worlds. I am pretty sure it must have been a wild ride with two of them, but definitely worth it. The way my 6 year old behaves, I am sure he would soon start rolling his eyes on my queries.
Lol at the wonder woman moment… that is hilarious. The no show socks make sense… they don’t take any stress enjoyed reading this post so much. Stay blessed
Oooh waiting for your little one to grow up. You’ll have stories to tell, I know that already :-).
Hi, Tulika,
I can only appreciate your views on this. As parents we are programmed to control our children’s behavior as we believe that it is the only way to lead life. We fail to understand that there are alternative views that our kids as teenagers can bring to the table. But the moment we pause and look at their point of view, life is so beautiful. Me and wifey have experienced it with son and now the same journey with a different flavour with daughter. Life is beautiful
Well said Balaji. Children, specially teens bring in new perspectives, they think in ways we might never have thought.