Anyone out there a Seinfeld fan? I am, I have seen every episode of every season. Funny people and outlandish themes make for an easy laugh. Every so often something “Seinfeldish” happens in my house. You know, when somebody says or does something so off the wall, so funny, that you have to laugh out loud? Living with teenagers is a lot like living with Jerry and the gang.
For instance, this weekend I asked my son to mow the lawn before it got too hot out. He came outside dressed in a hoody, my husband’s pajama pants, and flip flops. It was an interesting sight. “Why are you wearing Dad’s pajama pants,” I asked him. “Because I am a man, Mom. It’s ten o’clock in the morning on a Sunday. What sane person wouldn’t be wearing pajama pants,” he says in all seriousness. He then proceeds to open the gate to the backyard, and the next thing I hear is the lawn mower. I am literally left there speechless.
Some time later, my daughter presents me with a grocery shopping list. The list mostly consisted of junk food. This is strange because my daughter is a very healthy eater. She is my go-to at restaurants to share salads with. So I ask her, where are the fruits and veggies on the list? “Mom,” she says, “I need my Eggos.” Weird thing is, I have never bought frozen waffles. If memory serves, my mother-in-law bought them for the kids when they were toddlers. That was over 10 years ago. I just stared at the list and tried to understand what she needed. It was obvious there were food cravings going on but they were funky ones. I imagined combining some of the items; waffles with pesto sauce. Gross…
So, I have decided to just roll with it. If the lawn gets mowed, pajama-wearing son at the helm, so be it. If I buy some groceries that aren’t a usual purchase, that’s ok. Instead of judging them, I’m going to laugh with them. Life can either be lived in black and white, or in rainbow. I want to live a colorful life with my teens. Life is hard enough. What if we parents could embrace the weird, the hysterical, the bizarre and the obnoxiousness of teenage decision-making. Maybe, just maybe, we would all feel a little sunnier, brighter, happier even.
I once had a fellow Mom ask me how I keep my sanity with two little kids and two teens. It’s pretty much a circus in my house, seven days a week. Balls up in the air, dogs running around, messes in various rooms, loud music blaring, TV constantly on the cartoon channel. I had to think about her question and I came up empty handed on an answer. Even though the circus is three-ring, it’s fun. There will be a time when the noise dies down, when the cartoons will change into something more sophisticated, when the dogs will be old and rooms will be empty. If we parents don’t capture every moment, every milestone, every bump then we’ve missed out. So, if your house seems like a circus sometimes try to enjoy it, lap it up, join in on the fun.
Now, with all this goofiness does come some frustration, of course. We all have jobs and adult stress, teens have homework, sports, social engagements. Sometimes we feel more like George than we do Kramer, grumpy and tired. Or it could be an Elaine day, one that’s only worth a yada-yada. But they kept plugging along and so will we. If the pressure gets to be too much just remember the brilliant words of Frank Costanza; serenity now, serenity now… It will all work out in the end.
Elizabeth Knobel lives in Windsor and is the mother of two teens who give her inspiration everyday. She can reached at el*********@ms*.com.
