Being Thirteen - Where am I?

I must admit I have been quite lazy this winter down under and enjoyed every bit of it. But now I have an itch to blog, and I think I have the perfect occasion to as my son, Aabshaar, turns thirteen in a couple of days, well, officially at least. He has been displaying all the symptoms of being thirteen for some time now. 

Inevitably, my mind goes back to the time I hit thirteen, boy, was I rebellious! Full of doubts and questions, I exasperated my parents with the ‘whys’ of the world!

It’s an amazing phase to be in, being called a teenager brings a myriad of imagery to mind. The word adolescent sounds poetic, juvenile sounds like a cuss word, pubescent sounds biologically bewildering, youthful sounds not-so-insulting but may indicate that their burgeoning ‘reasoning’ might perhaps be laced with capriciousness, never mind their abundant vigour. 

Parents grow with their teenagers. The way they converse with their young adults and the things they say to reach out to them is so very colourful.

Now, I am reflecting on the ‘sometimes’ ‘contradictory’ statements I ‘have to’ resort to to cope with the ‘inconsistencies’ of my soon-to-be-thirteen-year-old-boy’s behaviour…

#You have grown-up now and you should be able to decide for yourself / You are not sensible enough to know what’s right for you and what’s not

‘Am still thinking, mum…’

#Aabshaar, you are big enough now to be left alone at home / I don’t think I can leave you alone at home and expect you to complete your tasks

‘Wait, what?’

#I can understand your angst, it’s the hormones and the developing thoughts / I can’t begin to fathom why you are so agitated all the time

‘Seriously, mum?’

#I know Aabshaar being a teenager can be so confusing, you are beginning to make sense of the world / Why is it so difficult for you to understand that the world is not an easy place to be in

‘I thought I was still making sense of it!’

# I know Aabshaar, thinkers can’t be bothered with routine stuff / Oh my God, why is your room so cluttered?

‘Wow, mum, thanks for understanding!’

#You know, you cannot evolve as a species if you are tied up with mundane tasks / Aabshaar, you will have to learn to organise your chores

‘Phew, mum, thanks for having my back!’

#Aabshaar, you cannot eat at your study table!! / Can you please bring my food in a bowl, I am so tired to get up from the bed

‘You can mum, as it’s you who cleans my mess too.’

#As a student of science, you should be able to apply its basics to your daily life and question things that don’t make sense / Why are you questioning my faith and spiritual belief?

‘Err, cuz I was thinking…’

#Baby, it's okay if you do not interact with those with whom your thoughts don’t resonate / Aabshaar, you should talk to everyone in social settings

‘Gee mum, what a life-saver you are!’

#Listen kiddo, you need to keep your phone in your school bag when you walk home, ok? / Aabshaar, why weren’t you answering my phone on the way home

‘I was having ice cream with Hugo!’

And I go on day-after-day trying to make sense of my son’s thoughts and behaviour! I am growing up too, I will soon turn a thirteen-year-old mum, after all!

I did say, it’s not easy being thirteen!

***Thinking***