Yesterday, partner and I found ourselves driving through North London with a car full of teenagers. There was the initial, predictable dialogue of: you go in the back, it’s your turn, I don’t want to go in the back, I feel sick in the back…I used to screech at them at this point, now I zone out, because somebody does always end up going in the back, without parental intervention. After this, they all plugged themselves in to some device or other and things quietened down.
That is, until we were driving down a particular road in North London, where there were huge numbers of Orthodox Jews, going about their Sunday morning business. The teenagers all suddenly sat up and observed. They unplugged themselves and within seconds they were interested in what was going on outside. They were sparking comments off one another, as they were completely mesmorised by the scene that was taking place in front of them. To the teenagers in the car, it was a scene from another culture. They were witnessing a style that they weren’t at all used to. I’ll be honest, I was waiting for the derogatory comments to ensue, as teenagers can be brutal when faced with a look that doesn’t fit in with their idea of normal. However, there was none of that. Instead, they were interested in why the men were dressed the way they were and why the young boys had long ringlets at each side of their head.
You may wonder why I was surprised by the girls’ reaction. If you have toddlers you will be all too familiar with them being interested and excited by things they see that are new to them and all the questions that follow. I suppose that it made me realise how little I see the girls get really engaged and excited about things. I don’t think that this reflects the reality. I am sure that they do get fired up by the world around them, but I also think that they share that energy and enthusiasm with their friends, and as parents of teenagers what we see far more of, is their less enthusiastic side.
Until we came across the Orthodox Jews, I hadn’t given this a thought. I had thought that daughter 1 can be irritable with her sisters. That daughter 2 seems more serious these days. That daughter 3 niggles at daughter 4 and that daughter 4 gets very angry back.
Now I think about it, this is what being a teenager is all about. It’s like they are on a sugar rush with their friends and a blood sugar low with their family. Don’t get me wrong: there isn’t a day that goes by without a package from ASOS or China being squeezed through the letterbox – another bikini top/make-up brush/phone case causes squeals of delight. However, it was their excitement and interest at the world outside their world that I loved seeing and I’m so glad that I got the chance to witness it.
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can totally relate to this post lol x #bigpinklink
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