a lesson on spending time with teens
I think sometimes we spend so much time stressing out about parenting our teengaers- how to ground them, what their grades are, who they're spending time with, etc. that it is easy not to appreciate small moments of peacefulness with them.
The other day, after a typical week of work/school stress and the grind of the daily routine, I spent an entire Sunday on the couch with my teenager watching movies. She loves 80s movies, and I love seeing them again, so we love to search through the Guide listings seeing if Breakfast Club or Sixteen Candles is on. Also, we both love scary movies, so a healthy dose of Silent Hill was thrown in as well.
I could have been doing laundry, dishes, or grocery shopping. She could have been texting, IM-ing or hanging out with friends, but we both ended up there, watching a bunch of movies and just hanging out. We didn't talk a lot- I didn't want to ruin it- but it sure was nice to be in the same room with her, both of us relaxed- nothing to talk about, nothing better to do.
I am trying to make the "Sunday movie time" a regular thing. It doesn't always happen, but the Sundays where it does are my favorites, and I am sure I will remember them fondly when she is off to college.
