What is a Tween? - The Blank Face
This is my first ever blog post and I wanted to precede it by stating that I am no parenting expert, I am a mother to 3 gorgeous children and that is where my qualification to discuss anything like this begins and ends. The ramblings of my blog are my experiences and if anyone resonates with my experiences hopefully we can laugh through this together. This is a FUN blog, honest but fun, with a touch of Irish/Australian/Dutch humour (perhaps I should also do a blog post on that). For now grab a cup of tea/coffee/water or something stronger and hop on board this parenting journey.
As a mother to three children who all have had their challenges through the years nothing could have prepared me for the TWEENAGER.. I had hear the phrase and laughed at fellow friends who told me stories of their 10/11/12 year olds seemingly changing over night into not so nice 10/11/12 year olds.. Tweenagers...
As a mother a bit like the terrible twos I had been preparing myself for the Teenage years.. the foot stomping, eye rolling, pimple popping teenage years, I have read all the parenting books, and felt strong in my resolution to be the best and coolest mum to my teenagers that ever was.. but I didn't actually know that there is a bit before that, equally as challenging and hair raising...
Then one day I found it had happened.. My sweet funny girl had turned Tween.. It was like a whirlwind, it started with the "Blank Face" a term that we laugh off in our house now but when it happens it usually signifies something even worse is about to come... The Blank Face look can reduce any parent to running away and hiding in a cupboard.. the Blank Face is the look of nothing but everything. The Blank Face is filled with confusion, anger, boredom and it says "I am not listening, nor do I want to listen", Blank Face can happen first thing in the morning when you encourage your tweenager out of bed and ask what does she/he/they want for breakfast, or last thing at night when you go to say goodnight, I always do the goodnights, usually to procure mobile phones and other electronic devices, to check if their toothbrush is wet (easier than asking have you brushed your teeth..) and to simply say goodnight.. but as a parent on the end of the Blank Face for at least a year now I have worked out that the Blank Face means all of the above but there is one little vital piece of information that the Blank Face also means, it means no matter what has happened before or what is about to happen that a HUG is required.. The hug may be received with the stiffness of a wooden plank (my tweenager was never a big hugger but since the tweenaging started the rate of hugs is higher than ever.. one should look at the positives), or it can end up being as fluid as water, the hug often brings tears, sometimes a raging rant but more often than not it has ended with - "I don't know why I feel like this"
And that my friends is how we discovered we had a Tweenager..
About Me
Mother to 3 children 2 dogs and a pony, wife and taxi driver, personal assistant, pony groom, dog groom, swimming coach, football coach, horseriding coach, head chef, homework checker, house cleaner, and self proclaimed super human (I might as well give myself that title as no one else will!)