Tweenagers

What I look like inside as I try to figure out the parenting thing...

I had to look this up to make sure I wasn't losing my mind, but I was dead on. The official years that are considered "tweens" in children are ages 8 to 12. For the last twenty years few years, raising these kids has gotten significantly...well...frustrating. I love them forever and always and to the moon and back.

But.

Oh my gosh...they can drive me CRAZY!

It started with Alex (as he is ten now) but Abby showed the signs of it earlier than him. Attitude. That's the best word for it. They flip me attitude. Not good attitudes, either. The kind that makes me want to pull my hair out and try gluing it back on backwards so I don't let them see my frustrated "crazy" eyes. Because I truly believe that when they see that crazy look in my eyes, they know they've secretly won the battle they brought down upon me - their poor helpless mom.

And it's only getting worse as the years go by. I believe that the tween age is there to get you slowly prepared for the frightening things that true teenagers will bring, but that doesn't make it better. Most of the time, they aren't testing my very last nerve. But a good chunk of it is filled with snippy comments, bad attitudes, drama, and sarcastic quips. As a highly sarcastic person, this shouldn't bother me. But their sarcasm can be almost over the top. Some say I deserve it. Oh well.

One day, I will look back on the constant battles, "I don't want to clean my room!" comments, screaming nonsense, fighting to the death, and (my personal favorite) the "you hate me!" accusations and I will miss it.

Right?

...and what the general public sees as I try to hide my crazy.