Daughter 2 walks into my bedroom, just as I’ve got up. I’m still naked…in MY bedroom – it’s allowed. Apparently not: eurrggh Mum, she announces on entry. I’m not sure whether she objects solely to my nakedness or to the exact state of my nakedness. Perhaps it’s the fact that I am leaning forwards, naked, in front of my mirror. Pushing my boobs subtly together, with my legs slightly apart, my bum pushed out and my tummy sucked in (NOT!!) that she objected to (see blog: Twat).
I’m on a huge learning curve with teenagers. Step daughter was my guinea pig. I thought: who is this creature who texts us from her bedroom, rather than walking downstairs? Who is this person who, when I’m asking her a question, doesn’t respond. Who is this alien who stays in her room when we come in, having not seen her all day? I put it down to the fact that she was my step daughter and not ‘one of my own’, however precious she still was. And now, ‘my own’ are teenagers and, guess what…they behave in exactly the same way. Teenagers are a species, just as babies and toddlers are. They are a group with predictable behaviours and who follow regular patterns, dictated by nature even more than nurture. Their brains are hard-wired to wind parents up.
So I am learning that, just because they aren’t responding, doesn’t mean that they aren’t listening. Just because they can sound cruel, doesn’t mean they don’t love. Just because they prefer spending time with friends, doesn’t mean they don’t like their family. Just because they can’t stand seeing you naked – even in your own bedroom, doesn’t mean that, deep down, they don’t think that you are beautiful.
