My son will turn 11 next week. When he turned 10 last year, he was still in that “little boy” phase. He didn’t look much different than he did when he was in second grade and showed no signs of puberty being close. So, when he announced that he was in his tweens, I chuckled to myself, since he still seemed like a little boy. This year, however, things are very different.
To start off, the boy has shot up 5 inches since this time last year. We have bought so many clothes over the past year, and since he’s still in growth spurt phase (as he has been for the past five months it seems), the jeans we bought him on Black Friday are getting close to being too short. His voice has gotten a little deeper, too. If you compare his school picture to the past three (which all looked almost exactly the same), there’s no doubt that he has left those little boy years behind. And if the growth spurt and everything wasn’t proof enough, then the behavior sure is.
I’ve heard parents complain about the tween years. “They hate us, they think we’re wrong about everything, they’re grumble and complain all the time…” I thought to myself that surely my good-natured little boy would never go down the path of the Dark Side, but you know how the my-kid-will-never works out, right?
The Look has become a fixture in our lives lately.
If pictures below look anything like your life, then you just might be raising a tween. Or a three-year-old.
Just kidding. I see a fair amount of that surliness, but not all the time, of course.
Wish me luck.
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Lol! My oldest will be 11 in July and I’m dreading it! My heart sinks when she calls out for me from the bathroom because I think her menstrual has arrived! 😣🤦🏽♀️ So far, false alarms. I got mine at 9 – it’s a nightmare, till this day. Oh the realities of parenthood! And to think it’ll only get better from here. Lol 🥳🙄
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Oh yikes! I was in fifth grade myself, and it sucked! Not looking forward to that, but at least I have several years 😀
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Ugh! Yes, it did so bad! Nope, I’m not either. Bleh. Lol yes, you have years before you get there – lucky!
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It’s a mercurial time. Mine were/are good, stay outta trouble, but so moody.
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Hopefully mine do. I guess I shouldn’t expect anything less than moody as fuck since it’s my kid 😀
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One of my kidlets turned 11 over the summer and it was such a change for him! He went from being a kid to being a little man. So mature and such a change! It was the strangest thing lol all the best for the transition for you!
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It seems like it happens overnight practically! 😀
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Definitely! I wasn’t working there over the summer so I did have two months away from him, but still haha
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I wish you luck and love– and the hope that your sense of humor doesn’t desert you during the years to come. You will be needing it, almost daily. 🙃
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Haha! Let’s hope not 😀
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My oldest is almost 8. She is already showing us how she’ll be as a tween/teen.
She’s delayed a bit, but I can already see that she’ll be one of those tweens/teens locked in her bedroom watching Youtube videos and listening to music. (I was that way- watching TV, reading, writing and listening to music.)
My husband was as well, he hid away in his room all the time listening to music and playing video games.
We have 2 daughters and people have been apologizing to us and warning us about the teen years since we were expecting our oldest. I’m actually kind of dreading when my youngest is that age (she’s 3 now- pure attitude already)
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I feel ya, my youngest is a pill already. I’d hate to see how things could get worse in her tweens. I stayed holed up in my room a lot, too, although I’ve always wanted my privacy.
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Aw, it all turned good in the last cartoon 🙂
I don’t know if you’ve heard of a British comedian called Harry Enfield? He had a long-running character who was exactly the sort of teen (rather than tween) you describe. In one episode it showed his 13th birthday. He’s staying up till midnight with his mum and dad, all excited. “Ooh, I’m so happy dearest Mum and Dad, I love you!” etc. Then the clock strikes midnight. Instantly his posture changes, he slumps over. His hair goes all messy. “Happy birthday, darling!” “Whaaat. I HATE YOU!” he moans 🙂 (Misquotes I’m sure but you get the idea!)
In fact I just found the clip on YouTube. I won’t scatter your blog with 3rd party links, but it’s under “Kevin becomes a teenager” (BBC Comedy).
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Ha! No, I haven’t heard of him, will have to check that out 😀
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Mine have all passed that stage. My youngest is a grumpy bum and very opinionated as well. We all told her she should be a lawyer. She’d be good at it since she’d argue about everything.
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PS…boys are not bad. My boy used to go for runs . He made me laugh when he told me I’m feeling frustrated and angry mum I’m going running. For someone who doesn’t do any exercise to go running 🙂
He didn’t show much attitude at all. Where as the girls oh my oh my. Lol
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Haha, if the toddler years are any indication, then I’m in for it with the girl for sure.
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Lol she might not though.
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Bahahaha! Omg! I laughed way too hard at your drawings (and not because they’re bad, they’re GREAT!) I imagined my daughter giving me the same damn look. My little one just turned 7 and she’s already giving me that sassy attitude. Good luck on the tween years!
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Lol! Hopefully that’ll wear off so you’ll get a few years of sweetness before the teens hit 😀
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The “I love you one!” is great even if you were kidding.
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ha! love the comment’s instruction, yo!
enjoyed this post.
you got “the look” drawn perfectly.
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Oh how I can relate. My son is 13 and he has all of the answers, never wrong and loves to go back and forth. I forgot to add, video games is his life. It is definitely a challenge sometimes but we’re somehow making it.
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