Love in the form of Torment

Sometimes I wonder whether I would've done this — become a parent — if I'd known. You know, Really KNOWN about this kind of love. Mostly, and obviously, I think: Of course. Don't be silly. But sometimes my love for these children feels almost like an affliction: Like my heart is within the fist of a beast, and I'm utterly helpless -and that love feeling will scare me, startle me as it bangs around inside my chest like a huge, flapping bird.

Teenage Angst

The plight of the Pre-teen
Is there a time when kids between the ages of 9 and 11 suddenly have their brains ooze out onto the concrete? Just walking down the street, home from school maybe, and blam! There it is, all kinds of brains, all over the driveway. It happened to me, and now it’s happening to my son. My sweet, gentle, adorable child who before last week, wouldn’t hurt a fly, and who got all choked up if you so much as looked at him the wrong way. But those days are gone. I wonder if there is any way to avoid this fight of hormones vs. brains, short of shipping all off the teenagers to (their own) deserted island somewhere. Suddenly I am faced with misbehavior, dumb choices, ignoring me, the oh so beautiful reaction we call “the rolling of the eyes,” the groundings, the sudden unexplained bouts of anger, the talking under the breath, the exasperated sighs! Nooooooo! Not my Boy! Take me instead!
And oh yeah....I know that I haven't seen anything yet....