Friday, December 9, 2011

Teenage Psychological Warfare




If you have a teenager in your life, then you know how they use psychological warfare in their combat exercises.

My 14-year-old has had two surgeries this fall.  One for his appendix and the other for a knee injury from football.  This has led to him believing that we should all wait on  him...and serve him...and bring him everything he desires.

Granted, for a short period, post-op, he needed this extra catering to his every whim...but that period is over.

And now, when I ask him to feed the dog, he tells me his knee is hurting.
When I ask him to take his dishes to the kitchen...his knee is hurting.
When I ask him to clean up his room...his knee is hurting.

But, it doesn't hurt when he plays basketball.
Or when he hops up to grab his phone.

I'm sensing a theme.

Oh, also, his latest response when I actually refuse to do something for him?

"Mama, can you pick up a steak tonight? I need meat."
"Donny, I'm not going to pick up pizza for dinner tonight."
"You don't love me anymore."

That, my friends, is teenage psychological warfare.

Have you experience this widely contagious phenomenon plaguing our nation's teenagers?




2 comments:

Alicia said...

Yes I have! And it doesn't stop when they get out of the teen years! I have a 30 year old daughter that had knee surgery when she was 16. Now when I ask her to do something she's says, "I can't, I had knee surgery"...lol. She's just kidding of course, but still!

Heather@ That Uncomfortable Itch said...

I didn't have it so much with my 18 year-old, but the current 14 year-old? Let's just say I prepare for battle on a daily basis. It's so rough!