Fastforward and Rewind
So, I am adding a third child to my household. No, not another baby, but a 16-year-old sister. Yes, I am fastforwarding to being a mom to a teenager. I know, I am a little crazy, but I feel I can't sit and watch while she flounders in her life.
Many of you who have known me a long time may even remember when this sister was born. Yes, folks, we are getting old. Little did I know that I would be parenting this child. So, a bit of background... we have the same dad who is terminally ill and lives nearby me (but cannot take care of sis) and different (thank, God) mom who has just gone through a second divorce. Her mom cannot help her with school since she did not finish high school herself and my sister is struggling with academics.
She actually moved in today and I am exhausted. I feel like I am too giving sometimes, but then look at the love I get in return and am glad for it.
The question I am putting out there for the world (though, mostly my friends) is this: If you had high school to do all over again and were giving yourself (or your little sister) advice, what would it be? If you had a new high school and fresh start, how would break in or reinvent yourself?
I think I would drink more alcohol. Actually, a couple of drinks would be more than I drank in high school. But, I can't condone that behavior now that I am the parent of a teenager. Seriously, I think I would have rebelled more and not taken shit so personally. I would have had alot more fun. I look back at my high school years and see a blur, really. I have blocked out most of high school because I was so miserable. I guess my way of rebelling was moving 2,000 miles away to go to college.
For some people, high school was the "time of their lives". For the rest, it was a few years of misery. For my sister, I hope that she isn't miserable, but I want her to use it as the start of the fun years of her life not the only fun years of her life.
Any thoughts, Dear Reader?
posted by Mari @ 10:32 PM
2 Comments:
I meant to comment after I first read this and... well... Life. Go figure.
What would I do differently? Hmmm.. I would open up more, not be so shy. After 10+ years of not seeing most of those people, I could really care less what they think/thought of me. That and as you said - drink more. :) Okay, not the "drinking like Cami did on Homecoming weekend" but yes, relax more.
Hope all is well!
~LJA
Lynnae, you totally suck.
But, as someone who drank *quite* a bit talking to someone who didn't drink at all: look at where all that not drinking got you! Notre Dame, hello?! And I do beleive you made up for any lost time while in college,no?
Seriously though. I'm gonna have to lean hard on the academics. Make *sure* she has enough math by her senior year, make a goal and a schedule and the incremental steps to get there. Is it college? Is it voc/tech like school? Try to get her looking forward to the long term goals of her life, then map out how her high school days will get her there.
All this responsibility from the girl who joined the army on a whim! Who knew?
Socially...I have no earthly clue. Reinvention is a subject I actually know a fair bit about-after all, at present all friends I have locally are ultra-conservative Southern Baptists.Who homeschool. The key is to be open, like Bug said, to new things. Pick a line and don't cross it, but don't arbitrarily judge those with different "lines". (The key to popularity in Mississippi and indeed, life).Smile. Make like a duck and let it roollll off. Imagine the other people in their underwear. (If you are in Mississippi however-DON'T.)
Good luck with this new adventure-I need to call you!
Cami
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