your kids grow up

whether you want them to or not and it IS hard.

Luckily, both of our older boys have been too shy to ask girls out, so no girlfriends yet.  Cole has become friends with a coworker that he's begun texting constantly.   I had to remind him if he kept it up he'd run out of texts for the month before the plan renewed (GoPhone).  He said she keeps texting and he has to answer.  I asked what they say to each other and he said she just texts to say 'hey'.  Oh sheesh.  I informed him he does not have to text back when that's all she saying.  Definitely not during school.  It can wait until after school and after practice.  I told him if he likes her so much he should ask her out already.  He said he didn't want to.  He said she changes boyfriends too many times.  Smart boy!  That talk alone made me feel better about his common sense.   She may be a really nice girl, but at least he knows enough not to knowingly get his heart broken.

The texting has slowed WAY down.  They still text each other, but on a better level. With all these gadgets out there nowadays, it's much harder for parents to keep up with kids.  They can say and do so much with these things.  I keep hoping that as long as we keep their user ids and passwords and occasionally check until we trust them it will be okay.  But, what I realized so far is that watching your boy talk to a girl really brings out the mom in you.  I told him that in no way will any girl  be good enough for my son, but I will always do my best to make anyone feel welcome if he finds her to be good.

Teens in general do require different parenting.  While I tell Kaelin that I'm not okay with the yoga pants wearing girls who don't cover their rears (tiny girl or not) I'm trying to pick my battles.  Like lately, I don't care for what she does with her hair.  But, I don't know the teenage styles and I'm not going to make her feel  bad about herself when she really did spend time putting it that way.   She tries to be a good girl, so that's more important.

There are million battles you could pick with 3 teens, daily.  But I'm learning everyday to bite my tongue more and more and only talk about the important things.  I incorporate some of the tactics my mom used or tweak those tactics or come up with new ones, but I keep trying find my way through this maze of momhood.