Travelling With Teens

Red eyes, wet cheeks, quivering lips, slumped shoulders enter the vehicle. “Aren’t you going to give him heck, he nearly broke my arm!” Silence. “You always take his side you NEVER get him in trouble!” And from the back seat: “You’d better tell that kid to shut his mouth or I’m going to lose it on him!” Oh, testosterone- laden, savage boys; someone please come and help me!!!!! They argue and fight constantly and I’m losing my mind!!!

We’re at the Marriott in Mystic, Connecticut, please come and get me......

We’ve had a good start to our summer holidays...I think..... Although at the moment, I’m really not sure. The key to coping with teenagers is the same as with toddlers: sleep, and lots of it! Don’t let them get over tired. So it’s 10pm on Thursday night, Ben is on the couch and Graham is on the bed, both forbidden to have the televisions on, ordered to get to sleep. I gave them fair warning about 7pm: “It’s going to be an early night, cause you two are completely exhausted!” I am doing my best to keep the key strokes quiet....”but you have to go to bed now too!” “No, I don’t. The room is my birthday present and I’m the parent!”

Shhh......wait a sec......I hear quiet.............Gra has stopped moving......can it be?............oh good lord, there is a god! .............shit, he just rolled over........

Why is it that I’m always the referee, the one who’s “boring” and “no fun”, “cheap” and “crabby”? “You make me crabby!” (I know, I’m responsible for my own reactions, no one makes you do anything.) If you tell them that they are so spoiled, they really have no idea, they look at you like you’re Medusa and say: “I am so not spoiled. I can show you lots more kids at my school that are SPOILED. We are not SPOILED!” (He goes to a private school; need I say more?)

Just about everyone in the family has been to Mystic, so I decided that it would be a cool place to hang out for a day or two with them this summer. We went to the aquarium and to the Seaport. The highlights for me were the Beluga whales, and the restoration of a whaling ship, the Charles W. Morgan. After dinner, we checked in, had a swim and watched tv.
Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day......It’s quiet in here; not a creature is stirring....not even a mouse.....