<p>Unfortunately, I have to confess to plagiarism - heard it on the joke show on Prairie Home Companion some years ago, but it fits the topic. This is an example for another thread about high schooler’s stealing credit for the ideas of others.</p>
<p>DS2 (and ds1, for that matter) would love to hear a “you’re getting so tall.” :)</p>
<p>I LOVE this thread!</p>
<p>I have 3 sons and each is very different. 18 years old and above.Email is great for communicating. The youngest texts a lot. I try to adapt to the mode of communication they feel comfortable with. However I recently told the younger 2 that when we emailed them with questions we expected a response in a reasonable amount of time, 24 hours. I know they are on the computer all the time. So no excuses. </p>
<p>For those with younger teenagers, I demanded that my sons come to dinner no matter how uncommunicative they were. Made for a lot of yelling sometimes but I didn’t give in. The middle son, now 23, recently said he told his uncle that he shouldn’t give up on his teenage daughter. Made all the yelling worth it.</p>
<p>Mine likes awesome; whatever; who cares; that’s gay; asshat; it’s 6 o’clock, it’s time to make dinner; what are you making for dinner; it’s time to buy food again; where is my<strong><em>; I need </em></strong>.</p>
<p>ksheja - there must be some underground teenage boy acceptable word list because I hear those a lot,too. Mine also thinks it’s quite amusing to respond to every question with “purple” or “what color?”. Me - not so amused.</p>
<p>I won’t ever say that my son hasn’t used the expression “that’s gay” with his peers to denote lame or undesirable, but not around me he doesn’t, since he knows I’ll come down on him that such an expression doesn’t fly with me.</p>
<p>My son’s favorite expression lately is “bougie.” I first thought he was saying “candle” in French, but apparently it means “bourgeois” or really tacky. Everything in my life is apparently “bougie.”</p>
<p>I agree with Pizzagirl. “That’s gay” is prohibited slang / slander in our house.</p>
<p>^ Same here. Although, I think it is more of a prepubescent phrase. Came up first and last time in 6th grade.</p>
<p>Meanest mom EVER! That’s me!</p>
<p>single mom with 5 kiddos…3 toads (boys)</p>
<p>When they eventually had a game system it stayed out in the family room, with ME. Same with the family computer, they did not get their own until they were in college and paid for it themselves. Game systems still out in the family room with me.</p>
<p>And a condition of said game systems…they had to teach me to play. Easier said then done since I have a hard time answering a cell phone. But throughout their teenage years they did attempt to teach me, key word attempt. I watched mostly! but they and their friends were restricted to gaming in the family room.</p>
<p>They didn’t have their own cars and couldn’t borrow mine so they were stuck with me from practice to games to movie drop offs. I was their little league assistant coach so they were used to me being there for practices and games. So much so that when I could not show up for all their D1 college games, boy, did I hear about it!!</p>
<p>They purchased a family plan for their cells so they each have one. I don’t, share with oldest daughter. I don’t call them, never have, they call me when they want to talk. Interestingly, they each call once a day if not more. They all went away to college with the light-hearted promise they would all come home after they finished.</p>
<p>And yes, they all did. Even med school son kept it, he is just 20 miles away so I see him several times a week now. His friends in the northeast come to visit and he visits them often as well. There now for the weekend, and he and his gf will be here for Thansgiving, she lives/works in NYC.</p>
<p>Throughout the years they couldn’t go out without me knowing their friends and having a way to contact them or their parents since we did not have cell phones. Same rule for all 5 kiddos. So I had to know who, where, when and why before they would go anywhere. And just a name didn’t work, had to be a name with a face I knew.</p>
<p>And even though they are all grown now, oldest is 28…I still get the who, where, when, how…when I would visit and they where in college I made sure son/daughter and I would go places where their friends could go with. And they did. Luckily I am still friends with most of them today. Many have been home with the kiddos to visit and they all know they are welcome anytime. Some have been to visit without my kiddos when they needed a place to stay.</p>
<p>Mine talk and talk and talk. I can’t always offer a solution or even advice. I sometimes can only listen. And sometimes they could see things I couldn’t. I needed them just as much and told them so. Not necessarily for the same things but I do tell them all how much they have helped and how secure I was in knowing they were there for me. And in turn how they have been there for each other.</p>
<p>I am so happy they are all near now, but a little sad my kittens aren’t kittens any more. Grew up to be tigers! (well, son loves being a tiger!)</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>My 16-year-old told his dad and me, quite seriously, that he wants to apply for emancipation. It took all my will power not to say, “Good luck with that! Go for it!” He thinks we’re shallow and he can’t stand living here. Odd that his older brother and younger sister don’t feel that way at all!</p>
<p>@katwkittens, I love your post. Wonderful!</p>
<p>If I see (via text) or hear “I’m fine” one more time I might just explode…LOL</p>
<p>My son texted me yesterday, spontaneously, and did not ask for anything. Yes!</p>
<p>^^^^OMG, I’m so jealous!</p>
<p>:) He texted his sister too. It was a virtual family gathering.</p>
<p>I thought of this thread today at lunch. We went out with ds2 and his bff and his family. OMG, the bff would NOT quit talking. He just chattered and chattered all through the football game we were trying to watch at the restaurant. I wanted to strangle him and thought to myself to be careful what I/we asked for. Seems that my sometimes-taciturn teen is just what I want.</p>
<p>Got call from DS yesterday…needed funds transferred to cover clothes as he only has California clothes so needed jacket, shoes, etc. At least I know he’s alive and moving about.</p>
<p>I will have 4 hours in a car with DS today. As long as I don’t mention college (hard since we are going to a college presentation) we should have a normal conversation.</p>