Foreshadowing

Upcoming teen attitude

On a family car ride last week, we had our first taste of the teen years. Toe was tired. He climbed into the car, put his sunglasses on, his hood up, and started reading his book. J and I turned on the radio and were excited to hear Prairie Home Companion playing. From the back we heard, "Turn it off! I can't read!" We were stunned. So stunned, we actually turned it off. We want to encourage our kid to read, sure. Silence for a few minutes.

Ok, we thought, no radio, we'll just talk. J started telling me about his day the day before and about some shows he likes to listen to on the radio. "QUIET!" came from the back seat. We both looked back, and there sat, not our boy, but a shadow of the teenager parents dread- moody, dark, removed, complete attitude.

Obviously, at seven, this would not do. We ended up having a brief but firm talk about how we are a family and we all have rights in the car and how we would work to be quiet, but he could not act like that, that he was completely out of line. He was not pleased and let us know that he just wanted to read. J and I continued our conversation and we could feel the heat from the fuming in the back seat.

He snapped out of it pretty quickly and read happily in the back.

And truthfully, I'm not sure if I was seeing foreshadowing or an imagined shadow.

We parents do that sometimes. I think back to my teenage years and remember arguments I had with my dad where I felt he was seeing a threat in me that did not exist - he was looking at me and seeing what he imagined, not who I was. Toe was just having a grumpy morning. That doesn't mean he'll turn into that sullen teenager.

Toe is a kid. He sometimes has attitude (and needs to know when it has gone too far). But generally, he's sunny and compliant and helpful. I snapped this photo about two minutes after our conversation. He was trying to dodge the camera.

However, we are on the alert: our kid continues to grow and new things are on the horizon.

Thankfully not yet