Teenagers.

Last week we welcomed another teenager into our household. It’s not like she wasn’t in the house, it’s just that she crossed the threshold from kid to well, still a kid---at least in my eyes. To say she has grown up would be an understatement. She is now taller than her Mom, looks like her Mom, and well, reminds me of her Mom. Thankfully, she is not her Mom---she leaves the lights on wherever she goes, never cleans up her room, and my biggest pet peeve of all, leaves food all over the house. Life with a teenager is so much fun. Now we have 2 of them under one roof. Lord help me.

It’s been a long time since I was a teenager, but I suspect little has changed. I didn’t clean up my room, I didn’t really clean up the dishes, but I did turn out the lights. I had other traits that were less than desirable, but I am hoping I grew out of some of them. I know there are some I have yet to rid myself of, but that’s not important in today’s “Snap.Shot.”

Being a teenager today, I believe, is tougher than it was when I was young---and certainly when my parents were young. A lot has to do with complete exposure to so much in the world that frankly didn’t exist even a few years ago. The Internet has created an “outreach” well beyond the local neighborhood and has brought information and content into our lives that is well beyond what I could have imagined. Combine this with music platforms such as MTV and reality TV, and you are witnessing a fundamental change in our society. I wonder if anyone saw this coming?

Can it get worse?

My daughter asked me about 2 weeks ago if she could start practicing driving the car in preparation to her getting her license. I said, “You are going to be 13!” She said she was well aware of that but wanted to start anyway. Thankfully my wife was there and confirmed that maybe in rural areas kids start driving younger, but where we live, it’s anything but rural. I did appreciate the question, and loved the response she got. For all of the drivers out there, do not be concerned; Izzy will not be behind the wheel until she has her permit.

The photo above was the official documentation into the teenage years. For every birthday we shut off the lights and turn on the camera. The illumination of the candles creates an effect that has become a tradition; we will have more teenagers in our house, and we know we will survive. I hope.

Thanks for stopping by.