EVERYTHING
FOR YOUR FAMILY
Mother Knows Best
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We're weird. That's the conclusion my oldest son has come to in the past few weeks. Apparently during the senior year, peer pressure peaks. It used to be that he was only concerned about himself: his clothes, his hair, and the car he drives to school. Now, his "image" has suddenly expanded to include his family. We, at least this week, no longer fit in. According to my firstborn, who has been disproportionately dutiful and respectful until now, we're out of sync with society because we eat too many vegetables, go to bed too early, and talk too nicely to each other. You can see why the kid's embarrassed. I'm told other seniors skip breakfast (I insist both my boys eat something before heading off to school), and have soda and candy for lunch. Guess the turkey on whole wheat is a real problem. Imagine the trauma the carrot sticks must be causing. When it comes to curfews, we'd like him home before the infomercials start airing. We're even too firm, I'm told, when it comes to talking to each other. "Mom, you have no idea how some of my friends talk to their moms," he said after I called him on having a little too much "attitude" in his voice. To him, we're like the Osbournes, except our family is at the opposite end of the "weird" spectrum. In his defense, he's half-right. I mean, in some ways, I see it too as I struggle to create an atmosphere in our home that reflects all the goodness of the household I was raised in: wholesome, healthy, and positive. My husband and I are still waiting for the popularity of all things "retro" (muscle cars, furniture, and even hairstyles) to apply to parenting. We're Ozzie and Harriet Nelson in a time when Ozzie and Sharon Osbourne are the couple invited to sing at ballgames and host award shows. I knew we were heading off the beaten path when our sons were little. We never allowed them to play "fighting" video games, even though their friends did. When their peers started bleaching and piercing themselves, we told our boys they'd have to wait until they were 18 to make that choice. And from day one we've insisted on speaking with respect to each member of the family. Shocking stuff, huh? I find comfort, however, in the fact that EVERY generation of teens has rebelled against their parents' rules. My parents did. I did. My son is just doing what teens do. It's heartwarming to think that someday HE'LL be the parent and, predictably, it will be his child challenging the rules. Regardless of which "Ozzie" he sounds like to his children, some evening over dinner he'll be upholding the rules of his own household, after which, I'm confident, he'll utter the words, "Now eat your vegetables." Kimberly A. Porrazzo of Lake Forest is a senior writer. |
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