Developmental Snapshot: Ten Sure Signs of Impending Teendom

Palais Royal Gardens, Paris

We are parents now living through the school age-teen age transformation of our children for the third time. For those of you who have this to look forward to, you may be anticipating obvious hormonally mediated signs, so to complement these, here are some slightly less known but nevertheless unmistakable signs that this rich metamorphosis is brewing:

1-Starbucks/coffee sign:
e.g., frequent "Can I go to Starbucks to get a Macchiato?"

2-Reaction to kissing in movies sign:
e.g., going from: "GAAAG" and "EEEEEWWWWW" and/or burying one's face in a pillow to progressively subtly less vehement protestations.

3-Deeply embarrassed by parents sign:
e.g., "I can't believe you did that...in public..." typically in response to something that you perceive (oh mistaken old one!) as innocuous.

4-His bedroom door is always closed sign:
Self explanatory and goes hand in hand with 5-The He knows lots of music I don't.... sign.

6-Sarcasm and Sass sign:
e.g., in response to a reminder that the dishwasher needs to be loaded: "What can I say? You're a great mother and I'm a bad child..." or "I don't really want to hear your life story" when I pointed out to my youngest son that it had snowed during the night.

7-Defense of Teenagers sign:
Teenagers, which your child may have perceived previously as brainless/incomprehensible creatures are suddenly understood deeply by the same child on the cusp on teenage. You...on the other hand, enter the category or partially brainless/deeply flawed creatures.

8-Food consumption sign:
You are suddenly buying food for the Roman Army....sometimes several times a week.

9-Conversational peek-a-boo sign:
e.g., "How could I possibly talk to you? You are my mother!" followed by a passionate earnest conversation.

10-Humor sign:
They suddenly understand most formerly elusive grown up jokes.

There are some parental signs not on this list but unmistakable as well, e.g., the humiliation sign if you had thought that unlike every other parent, you were going to sail through this transition with grace and ease but that's another story....

Till Later,

Anne