I get up this morning, I'm in a great mood, hubby and I enjoy some quality private morning conversation, and all felt right in the world. The planets must have been aligned - temporarily. After my husband left for work, I follow the same routine that I have had in place since September of last year. 6:10 am, wake the boys to get ready for school. Their bus is generally on time with maybe a day here or there that it is late, but for the most part it is dependable. So this morning, our digital outside thermometer reads 14.2 degrees. OK, that's cold, no getting around it. The weather here in Maryland is basically mild in the winter months, summer months - that's a blog all its own.
Without being told, my oldest son Ryan, is dressed as if he is about to scale the polar alps of some far away land that in his mind has never heard of the word heat, or he was the spokesperson for Carhartt subzero gear. Either way, he ate his oatmeal and drank his hot chocolate...he was warm and ready to brave the cold. Now my younger son, Reese, was dressed as if he were about to take a morning tour of Disneyland in California. A sun shield surf t-shirt, a hoodie sweat shirt and jeans. HELLO IT'S WINTER HERE IN MARYLAND…its COLD OUT THERE TODAY! But he didn't want any part of having to wear a coat.
Now, come on, I'm in a great mood, why in the world would you want to attempt to change that. It's not often you find mothers that are in a great mood, especially in the morning. A good mood, OK yes...sometimes. A great mood and they're even smiling...is like discovering a dinosaur bone in your flower bed. But I guess today, having mother in a happy state was just not acceptable. I could actually see the thought bubbles above my son's head that read "Test her, test her, you know you want too." And so, let the games begin. His reasoning as to why he didn't want to wear a jacket was that "THEY" get mad. For me, what does any smart person do when they hear someone blame the "THEY" people...we ask, "Who are THEY and why should I care what "THEY" think?" Needless to say, he didn't like my response. I was informed that the "THEY" people, he spoke of, were his classmates and teachers. Again, why should "THEY" care he wears a coat? He went on to plead his case that he didn't have a locker, which resulted in Ryan chiming in, "Everyone has a locker in school." There nothing like a few negative comments, from the peanut gallery, to really shake things up. Reese just stood there shaking as if his next plan was to punch something. We've had enough of things being punched in this house. Ryan punching his closet door a few months back and Ron recently punching the stairwell wall had me so mad, that I felt like punching something! If I knew any better I'd sign them all up for boxing and let them have at it with each other. I have to find some humor in all of this; otherwise a woman can go mad.
While he stood there shaking his arms and his skin was turning an angry shade of red, I stepped up my mommy role and pushed my good mood aside - dang, I think my planets only align only once every blue moon but I sent the law down. "Put the damn coat on and I don't want to hear another word about it! It's cold and I'm not having you come down with pneumonia. You've had that before; do you really want it again?" I guess by now you know who won this battle. He put his jacket on and stomped out of the house slamming the door behind him. It was then I realized...he was going to be 15 this year. We just got finished with the mood swings of a boy changing from a younger teen to a young man with Ryan. I don't know why we thought we would be spared the craziness with Reese, but my husband said all boys go through this. In my mind I thought, if they would have had a period, maybe I'd understand it. As a teenage girl going through the change I was called a royal bitch and have perfected it to Cast Iron over the years. For boys I call it - Total Meltdown, followed by years of rebuilding. I have seen posts on Facebook, parents mentioning what their teens had done this time, but what I am grateful for is that these are the parents who are involved and care about their children and let the rest of us caring parents know, we are not alone.
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