Tuesday, August 5, 2008

More teenage woes....

One of my colleagues has a teenage daughter (TD) who is at "that age". Everything is a plot to destroy her social life, and the whole world has ganged up to make her life impossible. Oh, she knows everything as well. I know what she's going through, #2 is just the same.

Predictably this has led to conflict, last week at school with one of the teachers. I think there was a personality clash as well to be fair to the TD. She rocked up to school yesterday and was told she had detention. No, this didn't fit in with her plans, so she rang her mum at work and asked her to get the detention lifted.

Mum said " No, you got into the situation, you do the detention." TD is not happy. She has plans to go to McD's with her mates, not go to detention. TD asks teachers to lift her detention, answer is no. TD goes to principal and complains that the teacher is treating her unfairly ,she doesn't want a detention,she wants to go to McD's, they can't make her do it so there. The principal tells her she should do the detention or get suspended.

TD rings mum again. TD gets more detention for not going to class and using her phone. TD rings mum at work again. TD gets told by school she will be doing detention. TD becomes hysterical and locks herself in the school toilets and rings her mum.

Mum is with me at work and is getting a bit ticked off with all the phone calls, so she says she's not going to answer the phone next time it rings.

The phone rings and I pick it up.

" You have ruined my life, I will never forgive you, I hate you ,I hate you, I hate you, I'm never speaking to you again." etc. etc. etc.

" Sorry, I think you have the wrong mother, I am far to busy ruining my own TD's life to have time to ruin yours, would you like to speak to your own mother?"

6 comments:

slh35661 said...

Oh, I had almost forgotten those years. I had a daughter who did those crazy things. Now she is an adult and seems to have amnesia that she ever treated me like that or did those crazy things. Now at 25 she says, "I think my brain was damaged back then." I think any teenage girl has brain damage due to those fluctuating hormones, so I say she is right.
My mother would just tell me, "You have to be the solid rock. You have to remain firm and solid, because they have to know you are still there, love them, and eventually they come back to themselves about 18 years of age." It was true. I hope it is true for your friend.
But I loved your sense of humor. Though this girl may not realize it now, hopefully one day she will look back and laugh at herself at being totally out of control and rediculous. Meanwhile I hope your friend manages to stay sane throughout. I believe parents of teenage girls need support groups.

Anonymous said...

I remember being a TD and my behaviour was occasionally awful but I also recollect a certain amount of provocation. To this day I don't think Dad realises how lucky he was to have such relatively straight daughters (Obv. he doesn't know what you got up to). I used to think that I would never have children just because I thought being a teenager was so awful. Now I realise it is a temporary phase and I just hope I can get my daughter through it as peacefully as possible. Your post makes me realise that my efforts to smooth the transition are highly likely to be pointless.

Unknown said...

Hilarious story! I am so not looking forward to teenagehood for my two (many years away, thankfully!) I remember when I was a teen, I thought everything my parents said was designed to keep me from enjoying myself and so totally switched off to anything they said.
How do you avoid history repeating itself?

Eve said...

I shall have to write a post on surviving teens, but let me do it first, ok? Barely hanging on by the fingernails here.

BTW thank-you slh, 18 you say, that's the lowest estimate I've had so far, two more years and I'm laughing, just less hysterically.

Eve said...

I shall have to write a post on surviving teens, but let me do it first, ok? Barely hanging on by the fingernails here.

BTW thank-you slh, 18 you say, that's the lowest estimate I've had so far, two more years and I'm laughing, just less hysterically.

ALF said...

Ahhh - I remember those times. Thank God they eventually end. However, I don't look forward to going through them with any children of my own.

Found your site from dooce - just wanted to say hi.