It's That Time Again--Ben

I've been around this "junior year of high school parenting" block twice before.  And true to my other two experiences, I've found that sixteen is a delightful age--an age where they are adult enough to discuss movies and politics and religion, but still kid enough to respect my opinions and listen to me a little bit.

Ben was off on his own adventure--a humanitarian mission in Fiji--while I was in Pennsylvania with the four littlest kids.  I missed him so much, and it was really good to have five hours, just him and me, to discuss life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

We discussed politics a little--he's not extremely involved politically, but he knows where he stands on the important issues.

We discussed school a little--he's ready to turn over a new leaf and really work hard, but he doesn't know if he has the momentum to make it a full year because he's so mellow about school work.  He's honest with himself.

We discussed his new haircut a little--after holding out for most of the summer, he caved in a few weeks ago and asked me to cut it.  I misunderstood his ideas, and I cut it WAY too short.  In true Ben fashion, he made a few clever remarks, even though he was quite mad at me, and then it's become a joke.  I know now what he means by "the same on the top."  I won't make that mistake again!

We discussed movies a little--he and I both agree that the new "Batman" movie is one of the best works of cinema EVER.

We discussed religion a little--he knows what he believes and he's strong enough to stand up for those beliefs, and hopefully he can apply a few lessons learned while serving the people of Fiji this summer.

We discussed fashion a little--since he wears a uniform to school, he's more into shoes than my other kids are--Sperry and Nike being the top choices for him this year.

We discussed food a little--he's a strong supporter of Firehouse Subs over Subway, and he is right, I found out.

We discussed football and weight training a little--he's got a pretty good idea how much he'll be playing this year, and he's working harder than ever before, especially now that he's a junior and an upperclassman.


We discussed money a little--how much things cost and how much it takes to raise a family.

We discussed college a little--he's thought about it quite a bit, and he has the foundations of a plan in place for the next few years, a plan that he was able to sway me to understand and mostly support.

We discussed family a little--he's a very observant member of our family, and he had some pretty accurate observations on family life and Brad's and my parenting.  I actually asked him if we were hard enough or too easy as parents, and he gave respectful, thoughtful, insightful opinions.


I love parenting high school kids.  Mostly, I am just so glad I get to be Ben's mom.  He is one of the coolest people I know.