Let The Games Begin

Back in the day, my mom would say that kids tried to grow up too fast.  In retrospect, I would have to agree; though, I’m sure every generation feels the same. 

I grew up in the sexual revolution of the 80’s, and as crazy as yesteryear was, the topics and ideas that kids address today are far greater than I could ever imagine. 

Yesterday, while my son and his father were doing homework at McDonalds after school, a group of my son’s classmates were talking about “smoking trees” and “having babies” openly, as if it was no big deal.   Not even the ears and eyes of an adult deterred the topics.  And we’re talking about kids in the sixth grade!

In sixth grade, I was thinking about getting picked (on the good team) in kickball.  I was still playing hopscotch, double-dutch, and swinging on monkey bars.  I had a small crush on a boy, but I hadn’t even kissed a boy until I was 14.

Now, I don’t live on Park Avenue, but it’s not murder central either.  I live in a middle-class neighborhood in the Northern Virginia suburbs.  There are issues from time to time, like any neighborhood, but for the most part, it’s a nice place to raise a family.

So, being the worrywart that I am, my immediate thought was: I’m glad my son’s father was there, but what about when he isn’t.  Should I forbid my son from hanging out with his classmates / friends?  This is something that my mom tried to do, and I’m here to tell you, it didn’t work, but I still voiced my thought.

His father just shook his head.  “Jennifer, you don’t want him sneaking around, and even if you try to shelter him, he’s going to learn about dirt because dirt is everywhere.  We just have to talk to him about all these topics.” 

So, talk we did.  Getting started was the hardest part, but the conversation wasn’t difficult at all.

My son’s response, “Don’t worry mommy. I’m not going to get into any of that stuff.  Some of my friends have really hard lives.  They don’t have support like I do.”

After we talked, I was able to relax a little bit.  But, shoot, I know how I was as a teenager and my son’s father was just as carefree, and we created a new and improved version of us. 

So, the moral of my blog is this: Kids are bound and determined to grow up fast.  Though it may not be necessarily to give the while-you’re-under-my-roof-speech, parents definitely need to keep the lines of communication open and calmly and collectively voice expectations. 

I’m also going to stay prayed up because I know this is only the beginning. 

Let the games begin.