Snowmageddon

"Snowmageddon" is here people.  At least that's what the news is calling it.  Or "Snowpocolypse."  I can't decide which I find most mockable.  Whenever the promise of bad weather hits the northwest the news channels take drama to new heights around here--I remember the "Arctic Blast" a few years ago and a few years before that it was the "Deep Freeze."  It doesn't take much snow for panic to set in here  and I started thinking that there's a chance I might be the news channel of parenting.

Now, if you don't now me that well I will explain that I think that a good percentage of the time I'm pretty chill.  I mean things bug me--but mostly in an annoying yet sometimes hilarious sort of way.  I'm not easily offended, I rarely get really mad and if I do it lasts for like 10 minutes because I hate being mad.  Dave and I rarely disagree because neither one of us likes being disagreeable and if there is any contention our code word is "nice."  As in after a tense few moments one of us will look at the other and say, "nice???"  To which the appropriate response is, "I love…."  (So if you happen to hear this exchange you know that we just experienced our version of a fight.  Now you know all my secrets…)  In addition I prefer to think of myself as a pretty positive person who is not prone to a whole lot of drama.  Except where my children are concerned--more importantly my children's future.

I think this is why the teenage years are throwing me for a bit of a loop.  The child who is getting a couple of bad grades mid semester is going to be a college drop out selling fudgesicles out of an ice cream truck for a living (like the actor who plays Ron in ""Harry Potter"), the one who lives like a slob is going to drive his future wife insane with his pile of clothes and books, and whenever one has a streak of grumpiness I worry that they are going to turn into one of those cranky neighbors that complains to the nice mom with six kids about leaves blowing into her yard.

That's why I'm lucky to have Dave.  He reminds me that the poor student will turn it around (he is) and probably grow up to support us in our old age, the messy one will figure it out when he has a roommate or wife (I hope so for the wife's sake) and the grumpiness is just a phase that most teens go through and does not mean they will turn into curmudgeony old men who shake a fist at the neighbor kids when they ride their bikes in the cul de sac.  (We have some crazy neighbors if you can't tell.)

That doesn't mean that I wouldn't prefer it if we didn't have to hound about grades or cleanliness or put up with the whininess or grunting (again, so much grunting) but I'm also trying to keep a level head about such things because they are short term.  Not to mention the fact that my parenting trials are pretty minor compared to many.  So I'm going to try to quit blowing them up in my mind to the status of "Teenageddon" and instead recognize that it's just a dusting of pre teen/teen angst much like this snow "storm" so far.

Update: I wrote this post when the snow storm was just getting started and I sort of mocked it.  But we did get a good helping of snow and more is on the way today.  I have to say, I'm loving "Snowmageddon" because it's so fun seeing the kids having so much fun together.  Even with the challenges we face as a family we are very blessed that our kids get along very well and genuinely like being together.  And that, is a win in my book.