How are you doing?
Good.
How was school?
Fine.
How was the test?
Good.
What did your teacher say?
Nothing.
Do you have homework?
Did it.
Are you okay?
Yeah.
Are you hungry?
Not really.
Did something happen?
No.
How are your friends?
Good.
Do you need anything?
Would you come tuck me in?
I see glimpses of this in my 7 year old. Don’t panic…
Comment by Daniel Hake — September 24, 2012 @ 11:48 am
Love.
Comment by Jena — September 24, 2012 @ 1:11 pm
This made me smile.
Comment by Elizabeth Aquino — September 24, 2012 @ 1:34 pm
What a perfect description of this feeling, conversation and a bit of connection just when you think there is none to be had today. Great blog!
Comment by Angi — September 24, 2012 @ 4:07 pm
Teenagers are baffling.
Comment by Anna — September 24, 2012 @ 4:12 pm
And the conversation continues, you hope. (Still having it here, after 22 years.)
Comment by Katrina Kenison — September 24, 2012 @ 4:52 pm
I think she’s getting very good at asking for what she needs, and ignoring what she doesn’t. I just haven’t matured at the same rate.
Comment by Karen Maezen Miller — September 24, 2012 @ 5:16 pm
They are so lovable and poignant in their growing and longing.
Comment by alison — September 24, 2012 @ 5:29 pm
Karen…what a surprise, as I have not opened your site for a month and the blue door with its beauty and strength, illuminating the sentiment below…Your words are poetry that brings smiles and tears at the same time! The patience and love you possess come through in this passage of “being a mom”. Pure love,in your written words. Thank you. Peace to you always.
Comment by Sally — September 24, 2012 @ 7:07 pm
This brings back memories of my teenage years. I tortured my mother with one word answers for years. I tell myself, in my defence, that she deserved it but I know in my heart it’s not true. Nobody really deserves it. Except maybe me? Maybe I deserve this when my girls are teenagers š Karma. In honesty, my four year old has already used many similar lines. She doesn’t want to discuss her day thanks very much. It’s done. She’s home now, why would she want to talk about it? “Will you read me a story?”
š
All good fun. Thanks for sharing.
Comment by Paul Brennan — September 25, 2012 @ 12:13 am
Something to look forward to!
Comment by Ranya — September 25, 2012 @ 2:16 am
When my kids were little, we did a thing called the “Squeeze Smoosh.” Short for squeeze, smoosh, sqeeze, smoosh, tickle, zerbert, kiss. Always in that order. Always with lots of laughter.
Occasionally, I still get asked for a Squeeze Smoosh. Those times are special . . .
Comment by Brian — September 25, 2012 @ 5:54 am
What a beautiful post! Just a reflection of my 11 year old girl changing ways… and a reminder that love and patience is all I need.
Comment by Liliana — September 26, 2012 @ 5:58 am
Like Paul, I was the teenager on the other side of the closed door. It’s magic, that all our human stories turn out to be the same. All our human minds come up with the same answers and the same questions, across the years, across the miles, across gender. Yet we insist that some unique individual is in here, in charge of Life.
Comment by Dawn Downey — September 29, 2012 @ 12:18 pm
We give and give…and wait for the openings.
Comment by Kirsten — October 1, 2012 @ 4:15 pm