What I learned from teenagers

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Notice the Penn State sweatshirt on Maya on the right. That was a must have purchase.

Goodbye juice boxes and fruit bowls. Goodbye smurfs. Hello cell phones.

This past weekend the granddaughters were visiting. They are almost fourteen (going on 30). Their feet are bigger than mine and we won’t talk about height. There was a lively discussion about that!

We don’t get to see them often so when we do, the change is astonishing. Eldest daughter had warned us that they would appear grown but it was still a shock. They are well on their way to looking like adults. They have opinions and know stuff (technology stuff which flummoxes me!).

I’ve had my cell phone for two years now and just found out that I can talk to it. I don’t have to type out a text! Woohoo! I don’t use it a lot and the predictive word thingie works well but not having to type on that tiny keyboard is wonderful.

They brought the beloved husband up to speed on his brand new smart phone (which sadly is smarter than he is). The ability of a young mind to process information amazes me.

They enjoyed the amusement park but I wonder if it was more for their mom and gramps who are roller coaster fanatics.

They talked fast and in a tone I found hard to hear. Made me wonder if I should have kept those hearing aids!

No toys. College name sweatshirts and cosmetics were the purchases. They don’t need cosmetics as they have perfect complexions (something I didn’t have at their age) with no pores and perfectly even skin tone. (Ahh…good skin is wasted on the young!)

They were good-natured about spending their fall break with the old folks (hey, at least we weren’t in a smelly old home or are we? How would we know?) and we enjoyed our time with them.

The cats were mixed. The grays were out and about reveling in the extra attention especially Gracie who enjoyed not having Sasha steal her toys.

Sasha wondered what was going on and watched from under the bed. Mollie slept in my closet, still recovering from the trauma of all the tests. It took them a nanosecond to know when when everyone was gone.

We are back into our normal routine and I do love a routine.

Until next time…

 

 

69 thoughts on “What I learned from teenagers”

  1. I love the family photo! You’ve shared photos of the girls in the past, so it was really lovely to see how they’ve matured, and as you’ve described them, experiencing their early teen year interests. We all need a willing teenager to help us with our technology! Fortunately I have a ten-year old who knows more than I do, so it can only get better as she matures. 🙂 I am certain this was a very valuable time for your granddaughters, too!

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  2. I still have young grandchildren. Thank you for sharing (warning) about the new teenage years, Kate:)

    You made my day with your funny phrase “which sadly is smarter than he is.”

    Oh, great, now I wonder whether we are in a smelly old home.

    Since laughter is the best medicine…….thank you for my dose🙂

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  5. Sounds like a really wonderful visit – AND you learned something totally cool about your phone. No kids or grandkids here so we old folks just have to feel our way through technology and – may I say – “it ain’t pretty” because we are hanging on to our dumb phones vs. smart ones and even those fool us somehow! Such a GREAT photo – a really grand family portrait. When the dust settles after having company I find I appreciate the quiet even more than ever….love friends….love doing out of routine things….but love the PEACE of “just us” more than ever.

    Hugs, Pam

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  6. Oh, yeah, the young always know and have the coolest new technology. My older sister can’t figure out how to do stuff on her phone when her daughters aren’t around. Which is pretty sad, since she performs surgery with a robot on a regular basis.

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  9. Teens likely don’t even read the manual, just a few clicks and problems are solved intuitively. I have a flip phone and I mentioned while talking to a fellow walker (same age as me and who has the same model number of flip phone) that I’ve never texted on this phone – all texting that I do is from my computer to a phone. I’ve never received an incoming call as it is just for emergencies … I’ve only called my house to discharge the battery. She was incredulous. She said let me see your phone and a few buttons were pushed and she said “now talk into the phone.” So, now when I hit speed dial and push “dial this number” the phone recites my home phone number.

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  10. It really is freaky when you haven’t seen the kids in a while, and then when you do, they’ve not only grown, but they’re features even start to change. I remember one niece was this adorable “Drew-Barrymore-in-ET” little girl. The next time I saw her she towered over me. They made her sit when she saw me so that I’d freak out when she stood….and I did freak out. It’s not saying much to be taller than me, cause I’m under 5 ft, but this “little” girl kept growing to about 5’9.

    So gad you enjoyed your time together and got schooled by the youngin’s. And btw, I love a routine, too.

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  11. Great photo! I hear you about the rate of speech. I’m sure I probably spoke like that around my friends when I was their age (though I can’t remember doing so), but I’m always a sentence behind when in processing when I speak to teenagers now. – Marty

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  15. What lovely girls and it was great you were able to enjoy the time with them for they sure do grow up fast once they reach this stage – they’ll be young ladies before you know it. Help with technology is always handy. Right now, I’m still the one providing it, but I look forward to the day when it flows the other way 😀

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  16. What a wonderful visit!! Great photo. The change in two years had to be a shock. The voice to text is great but I sometimes forget to read through them and send really silly and weird stuff. LOL! 🙂

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  20. We just had friends from Missouri leave yesterday and while we really and I mean really enjoyed having them I have been going to all my favorite places in the Tiny Casa and sitting there for a few minutes or longer and delighting in the peaceful happiness of me being there all alone… Haha. I am glad you had a great time with your beautiful grands. Thanks to them and their techie sharing with you, I can now talk to text… ridiculously easy! I had to check it out right away when you shared it! Sweet photo!

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    • Yes! I tried to stay in routine with the gym and of course Starbucks but the days were upside down. I swear we did laundry for 3 days straight. (not only their bedding and towels but our laundry that we usually do on weekends)

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  22. Great picture and beautiful grandies. I can imagine how drastic the changes are when time is lengthy between visits, I was lucky when it came to this. The things you do together will change as they age but the time together is so special, isn’t it? I know what you’re going through. We have five grandchildren, so far. The oldest is 34, two of them already have children of their own. Then we have round 2 starting with a 8 month old.

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  23. I don’t have grandchildren so I have to live vicariously through others like you 🙂

    I’m traumatized enough by having sons in their 30s. How did that happen so quickly?!! I can’t possibly be that old!! That’s a wonderful photo of all of you. These are special moments … for everyone involved 🙂

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  24. I can really relate to your reactions to a grandgirls’ visit and how amazing the changes and the versatility of youth. I can also relate to that big sigh of peace when the routines of life return. Great post and they are beautiful girls!

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  25. Oh it’s fun to read about this visit. I imagine that your granddaughters will never realize how they just know stuff about technology because it’s always been there with them. For them it is natural. Unlike the rest of us here.

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