What the hell just happened there?
We ate pizza and wings, we watched a movie, an hour of gaming followed.
Then all of a sudden, I had a war on my hands.
Vulgarity follows in this post.
Teenagers are rotten creatures when pissed off or provoked.
They feed off of each others negative energy, and the battle will escalate.
I was sitting here trying to catch up on my feed reading and listening to the news. Something happened in the Bay area, something big, I'll have to check the website now because this is what happened next.
Sebastian: Mark pushed me!
Mark:Liar!
Sebastian: Mom! It's his fault all your stuff is wet!
Mark: Jerk! No it isn't!
Sebastian: Mom! He's the liar!
Mark: Fuck you dick face!
Sebastian: Eat shit loser!
Me: Wait a frigging minute!!! My what "stuff" is wet?
Sebastian: Your cork board and all those papers in the basket.
Me: You did not just say my papers in the basket.
Mark: He threw his cup of water at me mom.
Sebastian: I did not you fucking lying sack of shit!
Mark: I'm gonna kill you!
Me: Knock it the hell off now! Both of you! Tell me what happened! Now!!!
Mark: You asked me a question, I was coming to answer you, I tripped on the kitchen rug and grabbed his arm so I didn't fall down, then as I was coming to you, he threw his cup of water at me and it sprayed the whole wall and my back.
Sebastian: I did not! He did not trip, he grabbed my arm and squeezed it really tight, and jerked my arm around. I was holding my cup of water and it went flying everywhere.
Mark: You're such a liar Sebastian. If that's what happened, how did my back get all wet? I was in front of you walking away, not behind you twisting your arm.
Sebastian: Quit lying Mark, you know you did that.
Mark: I'm not lying! You threw it at me!
Me: Stop it! Now! Go get some towels and dry off my chair, the wall, the floor by the game room. I'll attempt to dry my papers.
*They walk off to get towels and are grumbling at each other. Liar. Fag. Douchebag. Jerk. Fucknut. C-rag.*
Lovely. Just lovely.
It's bedtime, and they start a new war over stupid crap.
I still don't know what really happened, I don't really care either.
I'm just over the constant brother battles.
I know this is all perfectly normal too. Brothers teach brothers how to fight, it's like part of the becoming a man ritual or some crap. They have to test their strengths out, and it's on each other. Non-stop.
I think the only time they aren't fighting is when they are at school, doing homework or chores.
No, I take that back.
They bicker with each other at homework time because he has his pencils on my side of the table, or his book touched mine, or I was going to do that chore.
Only 5 and a half weeks till summer vacation.
I seriously need to find them jobs or something to do all summer.
This is gonna be hell.
Comments
Fortunately my kids are still small. If I ever hear them using the f word in my house - I am going to smack them straight away.
Posted by: Adam | April 13, 2007 6:06 AM
It's at times like this I'm glad I only had the one kid. Although a sister would have been okay.
And summer jobs? Totally, girl. You need that for your sanity.
Posted by: terry | April 13, 2007 8:15 AM
I'm just glad to know I'm not the only one who swears at their kids, and I fully expect that my boys will be swearing back by the time they are teens.
Were the papers salvageable?
And one more thing, and I am being completely serious here. HOW are you the mother of a 16 year old! Your profile photo looks like a twenty-something year old, I am not kidding! I'm not prying into your personal business, I just mean you look WAY too young to have a 16 year old!
Posted by: Elizabeth | April 13, 2007 8:49 AM
I go through something similar to this on at least a daily basis. I don't always get the name calling and shit, but man.....makes me want to knock their heads together.
I think the next time mine pull something where they DO call one another names, I am going to handcuff them together till they can act right in one another's presence, then make them hug one another and make up!
I feel for ya! Unless it's something horribly serious sounding, I usually don't even step in to mediate anymore.
Posted by: Belle | April 13, 2007 9:13 AM
Mine don't use those words (yet!) but the scenario is definitely the same at my house. It is worse when my husband isn't home... so I can imagine what it's like for you ALL.THE.TIME. Eeek! Yes, definitely time for some summer jobs for those boys!
Posted by: Amy | April 13, 2007 10:50 AM
Adam, it's a battle I chose not to fight over. They are just words. Now, if they were using those words in my direction, such as fuck you mom, I would probably have to kill them, but really, words are simply words. You should look up the history of the word fuck sometime. It's fascinating how far back it dates, and the amount of the world's greatest literary authors that have used it.
There are much bigger battles to win with teenagers. Trust me.
___________
Terry,
Oh hell yeah I do. Two of them at their ages fighting for the whole summer? Oh hell no!
___________
Elizabeth,
I don't swear at them. I swear around them. I never say fuck you to my kids and they don't say fuck you to me. It's a HUGE difference. They are free to swear, just not at me.
The papers were fine.
LOL! I am 37 years old. I had Mark at age 21.
Thank you for the compliment. :)
_________
Belle,
The only reason I stepped in at all, was because they got my stuff wet. I'm so used to the fighting, like you, I only step in when I have to.
Posted by: kat | April 13, 2007 10:55 AM
Amy,
They aren't saying them at home, but I guarantee they know every single one of them. Public education is simply the best! /sarcasm.
The daytime when they are at school, is pretty much the only peaceful time I have.
Posted by: kat | April 13, 2007 10:57 AM
I think that summer jobs for both of them would be a fine idea. I know tht Mark is old enough to work, and besides, if he wants to drive, he needs to help pay for a car and insurance and all that. But I don't know if anyone hires kids Sebastian's age. He might have a better shot at something once he turns 14.
Yep, I highly recommend the job thing. It'll be good for them, they'll like having the money, they'll learn a lot, and be out of your hair for a whilke over the summer.
Glad your papers were okay after all!
Posted by: Christine | April 13, 2007 12:10 PM
Sebastian turns 14 on June 1st, just a few weeks after school lets out. Publix will hire both he and Mark. Hopefully.
They need jobs. I'll send them to work at different Publix's of course, to spare the managers from them fighting...LOL
Posted by: kat | April 13, 2007 12:32 PM
The cursing issue is interesting. I admit it made me cringe to read your kids' language. My 11-year-old knows all the major curse words because she asked me what they were and I told her. I also told her I didn't want to hear them in the house because they take away from a peaceful home. That being said, I have no idea what it's like having two teenage boys!! LOL
Posted by: Chris (Singer) | April 13, 2007 1:10 PM
It's called picking the battles that are worth it.
By the time they reach high school, you will have set boundaries as to what is acceptable speech in the home. Because no matter if you tell them not to ever say those words, they will be saying them at school. It's pretty much unavoidable.
My youngest son has a friend whose family is devout Christian. They are heavily involved in the church, they are very, very proper. That boy is a saint around his parents.
At school and hanging with his friends, he's got the mouth of a sailor with a bad case of crabs.
So you will get to this point where you have to decide if words are the battle you want to fight over. There are drugs, teen sex, gang issues, school violence and bullies.
I chose to give my sons free speech at home. They are not allowed to say any of those words when people come over, in front of relatives, towards teachers or other adults when out in public. They have respected my wishes that way. They have never sworn at me, ever.
But they do cuss each other up and down, while playing xboxlive to other players in the game, with their friends. But never at anyone I've told them to be respectful of.
In exchange, I have sons who don't hang out with rotten thugs, don't do drugs, aren't having teen sex, and getting good grades in school.
Posted by: kat | April 13, 2007 1:13 PM