The teens have been in a frenzy as of late. Right now, I’ve got some of them here at home, decorating neon blue shirts with black iron-on letters. They’re going to throw on bright neon paint soon, too. They’re doing this so they can wear matching outfits to the Sadie Hawkins dance that’s coming up soon.
The back door is open to let in some crisp fresh air, and the youngest set of children is upstairs entertaining themselves. They’re all snacking on Goldfish. Every once in a while, the teens break into show tunes. Doing double duty, they’re also rehearsing for a school play that’s ALSO coming up.
My other teen is away at a friend’s house practicing music for a band they’re forming. Dudes doing dude things, with loud instruments. Rough-and-tumble-type stuff.
These are the days they will remember when they grow up and have jobs and families and kids of their own. I know this because while I find myself in the midst of all this teen hoopla, I am remembering my own teenage adventures – of a time when the school year was coming to an end for a younger me.
I met my best friend while trying out for “Our Town” at Roosevelt High. We were freshmen in a packed room, and as soon as I saw her, I knew we’d be best friends. We were in East Hall, Rm. 116, to be exact. I remember it like it was yesterday.
We romped around campus as if we had nothing to lose. Totally clueless, really, but we didn’t care. All we knew was that we had loads of fun, and were bound with an amazing synchronicity, and that we had an entire school of friends we needed to make.
I’ve had a great opportunity to re-live the teenage years through my teen’s eyes. I marvel at the newness of their comments about things like how cool it is that some stop lights have sensors, while others are timed, or how you don’t really have to press on the break quickly when you come to a full and complete stop.
The teens have made a mess of the front room, but I don’t care. Nobody’s going to remember it anyways. Instead, they’ll remember the fun, and how they felt when they lived through the last few days of school before a summer vacation begins.
“Seuss…Seuss…Seuss…Seuss…”
HAHAAA!! It’s crazy watching the days go by, and seeing how free and easy they feel. So awesome.