When I was 12 years old, I remember sneaking chicken wings into my room as a midnight snack. I remember hanging out in the den watching memorizing Pretty Woman when I should have been doing math homework. I remember calling a “cute” boy and hanging up when his mom answered. Repeatedly. These are things I never told my mom and yet, even without her guidance and insights, I managed to survive my antics.
Fast forward 25 years and my almost 12-year-old son is following closely in my footsteps, telling me about the chocolate-marshmallow concoctions he made himself after we all went to sleep, the (harmless) prank calls he and his friends made while waiting for the bus, and more information than I want to know about what 12-year-old boys talk about in their cabin late at night.
Trust me when I tell you that you don’t want to know what 12-year-old boys talk about in their cabin late at night.
This is where my parenting dilemma of the week comes in: on one hand, I am happy and consider myself lucky that B still feels comfortable talking to me about all this stuff. On the other hand? I don’t want to hear it. For a couple reasons. First of all, when its stuff like prank calls and unhealthy snacks, the grown-up mom in me feels the need to scold him so he learns the difference between right and wrong. Second, I didn’t grow up with brothers and was really shy around boys and when it comes to all the boy/girl/puberty stuff, I’m afraid of giving the wrong advice. Finally, sometimes it just feels creepy to hear all this stuff.
So what do I do? Do I explain to B that there are just some things you don’t tell your mom or do I bite my lip, cringe, and just listen as long as he keeps talking?
Cayla vents muses
about her life on her blog, Running, Recipes, and Reading, an integral part of helping her center her life and find the beauty in humanity. Follow her on twitter: @runreadrecipe.