Roger Ebert, in his review of the movie “Thirteen,” quotes someone saying that the two hardest years of a woman’s life are the year she’s thirteen and the year her daughter is. I think it’s a fairly apt observation.
Life On Wry, you didn’t happen to post that at work did you? I’m still waiting for that problem. I hope that the fact that I make the kids get information from the library (I’m lucky - we live close by) before resorting to the internet, and that the computer is in the visible-from-the-common-room-library, will stem that particular tide. But I’m nervous.
Cartooniverse, your friend is right about the door-slamming, you just need a little time to decode it. My younger daughter, for example, can stomp up the stairs in seven languages, as follows:
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I’m mad at you because you said no.
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I’m mad at my brother because of something he said.
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I’m mad at my brother because he touched my stuff.
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I’m mad at my sister because she looked at me.
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I’m mad at you because my sister and I have to share a room which is your fault for not buying a bigger house.
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I’m mad at my mother, but she’s not here and you married her.
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I have no idea what I’m mad at, but you’re not helping, so see #1.
I work from home - and play a lot online myself. Which is why she and the WryGuy have another computer in the basement rec room. Mea culpa, but I raised her better’n that!
Now THAT is funny as hell.
I’m pretty sure there’s some software (maybe ReachOut?) that will allow you to monitor everything she does on her computer from your computer. If you feel the need to go that far.
Ooooh, my sympathies, Cartooniverse. I still apologize monthly to my family for the sheer torture I put them through when the curse descends.
You gave her chocolate? Why can’t you be my dad, huh? 
–sputters-- Uh… Kythereia that’s really sweet and ever so flattering, but…um… at this point, I think the Fem-Bot™ wouldn’t share me. 
Yes, Mycroft, I threw that hint in to clue in those in the cyclical know.
We have Life On Wry talking to the King of Soup. Is it me, or should I email Admin. and have my member name changed to Hot_Cocoa?
( weaking from the nice offer for a second daughter ), so, what size sweatshirt do you wear, Kythereia 
)
I’ve got a rocking new dad! parties
My girl’s only six, so I don’t know how easy she’s going to be (probably not at all, she’s already the most stubborn person I’ve ever met in my life), but the boy; oh dear Og, the boy. 14 years old he is, and not a day goes by that I don’t want to wring his smart-aleck little neck. And his punk-ass little friends, ugh. One of them is suspended for the rest of the year for threatening another kid with a knife, another one (aged 12 - TWELVE) just had a pregnancy scare which, fortunately, turned out to be a false alarm. We’re constantly at odds because we have absolutely nothing in common; I like history and books and finding things out, and he likes looking at motorcycles and the bimbos that sit on them in Easy Rider magazine. I like Humphrey Bogart; he likes Vin Diesel, or whatever his name is. I graduated from college cum laude when the boy was 5 years old; he’s barely passing 7th grade.
He did join the chess club a few months ago, though, and he’s doing well enough to go to the state tournament on Saturday, so maybe there’s hope for him yet.
Cartooniverse, can I be your third daughter? You sound much cooler than my own dad, who, after Mom left, told me that if I needed any “feminine napkins” to write it down and post it on the fridge. Pleeeeeeeeze? You don’t even have to buy me a sweatshirt…but I do want a kitty!
Cold_Can_O_Coke would work better for me with that particular lunch menu.
Having blown my stack last night with the Kid, I’m mostly not angry anymore. Now I’ve gone into heavy-duty parental “I am so disappointed” mode (they HATE that one.) The good news is, she’s basically a good kid, she’s not hanging with the wrong crowd, and I know this is a phase - I was worse, and look at me now. (Scratch that last bit… probably not a great example.) Anyhow, the WryGuy and I are stepping up the supervision, staying calm (barring last night’s blow-up) and plotting to plod our way through this.
This too shall pass
This too shall pass
This too shall pass…
Well, this brings back memories.
Of puberty hitting while my daughter was staying with me as Mom & Stepdad were on vacation. So off to Walgreens we went to buy pads.
I never ventured into that aisle, even when I was married.
LOL, mrAru and I have been together more than 15 years…he automatically buys sanitary stuff of my preferred brand/type automatically if he notices the quantities diminishing=) As far as I am concerned, it magically appears in the bathroom all by itself=)
She might not be quite ready for dark chocolate yet, but she’ll get there! If that doesn’t work, you could try this.
aruvgan. your husband is amazing! Does he have a brother?
Feh - I laugh at you.
I’ve got a stepdaughter going through her first case of PMS and a wife who’s just hitting menopause.
I’ll be in the garage for the next few years.
I wanna go with you, and I’m the menopausal one. Whoever thought it would be a good idea to have puberty and menopause going on at the same time in the same house seriously needs a head exam.
My poor husband.
Not gonna happen! That little angel of yours couldn’t possibly cause you a moment’s distress. Ever! I’m sure she’ll always keep her room tidy and do her homework and not date till she’s 35 and she’ll always be Daddy’s girl.
No really - I could tell. 
Heh.
When the time comes, I’ll try and be as mature as she.
Until then, yeah, I’m inhabiting that dreamland too.
Oh, LUCKY girl, she gets to figure the PMS thing out while she’s 13 and still has an excuse. After switching pills for the first time (10 years on the original one!), I had PMS for the first time ever–at age 24. I was absolutely out of my head. I think I might need some court-appointed hormonal management classes.
Hah! I have 15 yr old daughter too. My god, it all I can do to keep from strangling her some days. Her PMS way out strips mine. I get the roll eyes, smart-assed comebacks, and “tone” and “'tude”. In addition, the PMSy behavior continues while “Aunt Flo” is visiting. The worst part is the poor girl is completely regulated and is suffering the same hell I did at her age. She has her visitor for weeks at a time. We are going to visit the doctor to cut that out. It’s not good for her.
I was a raging ball of hormones at that age too, but ye gods, it really tries my patience now.
Thankfully, I only had one girl. My other child is a boy-child who’s twelve and has already sprouted a fairly good mustache. Not a good sign…I hope he stays away from girls for awhile yet. I’ll have other worries then.
drools Those sound sooooooo good, I think I’m gonna have to make them sometime, PMS or no,. Or better yet, maybe I should show that recipe to my roommates and let them do it