Good Day Sunshine

The day started off badly: the developer who bought the house next to us has, let us just say, difficulties being a foreman, and some of the tradesmen he's hired are making a hash of my yard as they traipse around doing their thing. So I spent some time this morning trying to make myself understood (and being reminded that there is still a very clear divide between some of the sexes). It's been a while since I've heard a man over the age of 25 actually say "Whoa, babes at five o'clock, dude!" while I've been standing next to him. While his ladder is firmly wedged in my fuchsia bed. While he's sitting smoking on my doorstep, quite oblivious about the fact that I might actually mind him sitting smoking on my doorstep.

Sigh.

Fortunately things went up remarkably from there. Max and I had the best conversation about his life today. I am not a person who plans ahead a whole lot, so I haven't been reflecting much about the impending teen years of my offspring, other than to think than that they can be trying for the rest of the family. As a result, dealing with this First Teen is sometimes unpredictable and inexplicably mysterious, not to mention frustrating. For those of you who either can't remember being a teen or don't have teens in your life, let me just say that at times it can be like living with a really really picky princess. An opinionated picky princess. I often reference this to Max, especially if he's being particularly princessy. Irony keeps the irritation down, you know.

"You are such a princess!" I say. To which he usually says "I am a BOY, BOYS can't be princesses." To which I usually say "Oh you are SUCH a rule breaker, you little princess you!"

Sometimes he laughs. Sometimes he rolls his eyes. Sometimes he stomps away. It sort of depends how he feels about being so woefully misunderstood.

Sometimes I laugh. Sometimes I am completely serious. Sometimes I stomp away. It sort of depends how I feel about being the Servant Girl to his Princess.

Anyhow, we had a really great talk today. It really made up for the irritating Babe Boys next door.

This is the part that was glossed over in my Parenting Manual: what to do when they aren't babies anymore. Some of it comes easily; some of it doesn't. So when days like today come along, they really are an unexpected delight.