<p>Ever have one of those conversations where you realized your kid Gets It- something that you have been talking about for a long time, and suddenly the light goes off in their heads?</p>
<p>Well, we had one of those last night- she went to a “party” and she went in downstairs to find a bathroom and ran across a bunch of kids “dancing”</p>
<p>When she got home, she and her friends told me how the kids were dancing was disgusting, it was like an “orgy” of dancing and the guys didn’t have any clue who they were with</p>
<p>What makes this AMAZING is that for the last couple of years, I was called a fuddy duddy, didn’t get that this was how kids danced these days, this generation, blah blah blah and my D did kind of dance that way</p>
<p>Gee, honey, isn’t that what I have said about that “dancing” for a while now, but I didn’t say that…just yeah, ick</p>
<p>The girls also said how stupid it looks and that the girls looked, well, like you know…</p>
<p>Anyway, it was a momentous moment in my head- she didn’t feel the need to defend her peers with the dancing any more</p>
<p>We had a couple of these at our house when our oldest D was home last Christmas. We were amazed by how APPRECIATIVE she was and how helpful she was. At one point she said to my son (HS student) “Hey! The dishwasher is dirty, don’t leave them in the sink for MOM to load. What do you think she is, your maid!”
I didn’t say anything, just smiled and continued with my work.</p>
<p>College sophomore D always thought we were too strict well into high school.</p>
<p>She recently told us we struck the right balance: gave her enough room but also made sure she understood there were limits. It was nice to hear. Sadly, there is still the HS freshman S to break in…</p>
<p>My oldest moved into his own home two years ago. Shortly afterwards, in December, he was sitting at our table and told us that for years, he had resented our nagging about turning out the lights when he left a room, shutting off the water when it wasn’t being used, not standing in front of an open fridge, etc. He kept saying to himself…“when I have my own house, I’m going to do whatever I want”. Then he said “Now, when I watch tv, I do it in the dark wearing a sweater. I finally get it!”</p>
<p>Son who is a senior in college is hoping for a job in a city where he can use public transportation. “I’m not going to buy a car if I can help it,” he says. He was happy to use our car when he lived at home, but we do live in the suburbs. Smart kid. :)</p>
<p>I love it when my kids get their first paycheck- “Who is this FICA and why does he take all my money???” Then there arises the discussion of where that money goes, inspiring a first interest in politics for some!</p>
<p>^^^LOL!
My kids had their first summer jobs at 16. Maybe that’s why they registered as republicans at 18?<br>
I never knew there was such a thing as an 18 year old republican.</p>