Monday, October 06, 2008

Fun Monday Story Challenge

This Fun Monday is hosted by Mommy Wizdom, who had a "wordzle" assignment - we had to use one of three themes, ten words in our story, and optional bonus words. I have highlighted the words we were required to use (and the bonus words I could manage) in yellow.

The theme I chose was "Raising a Teenager," AKA "Why I No Longer Have Time to Blog"

The room of a teenager is a mysterious place, and I am constantly fascinated with what I might find hanging from the doorknobs at any given time. Lanyards, keepsakes, nametags, beads - all manner of items that are "treasures," not to be disturbed by me. I see that a panda backpack has found his home there, looking a bit lethargic - not obviously remembering that he was a MUST HAVE purchase in a Washington D. C. museum gift shop, requiring me to jet across town on the Metro at lightning speed to provide the needed funds. I also remember the bookcase - innocent, white, and so adorable that held her "Goosebumps" books from middle school. Now, all the bookcases in her room are the requisite fashionable color of black, and her reading choices have moved to magazines, strewn across an old-fashioned trunk that was also painted black, to match the overall room decor.
And the room is often filled with a variety of the teenager's friends - corralling them all into participating in a simple activity such as dinner is akin to herding cats. And the dinner itself? Well, sometimes, I have to take a bit of respite in a shot of tequila in order to calm my jangled nerves. Such moments find me offering meal items such as a can of chicken soup, Ramen noodles, or a couple of biscuits leftover from the morning breakfast. I know - I sound like a horrible mother at times. But have you raised a teenager lately? With their wireless devices constantly at the ready, I feel like a prehistoric relic of an age gone by.
When I finally have a moment to myself, I am tired beyond belief. Being able to use the computer at home is a rare privilege, and so checking my comments is a treat indeed. Much less blogging a full post. And what do I sometimes find? That a blogger with an avatar of an ostrich has left me a humorous comment that brings me to tears, reminding me that there are people out there, just like me. Mothers of these beautiful people we call children, even though they can sometimes suck the very life out of us.

And yes, I finished this post shortly before 11PM, when the teenager finally let me on the computer. Now go check out the other participants!

25 comments:

Driftwood and Pumpkin said...

So good! The first "real" story so far that i've read. Great job!

Sayre said...

I am SO looking forward to mothering a teenager... My turn is coming in just a couple of years! Thanks for a peek (but my son already hogs the computer - that part I already know!).

Heather said...

Great job! I really enjoyed it, especially your last line about 11PM. Great story!

Dr.John said...

The story worked so well I hardly noticed you were using the words. A really good piece of writing.

Richard Lawry said...

Good job! I don't like being told what to do, so I'm not sure I could write a story with somebody else giving me the topic and words. My teenagers are now 22 and 29 but I remember those days.

Anonymous said...

O wonderful! I so enjoyed your story... the doorknob thing is hilarious. I remember doing that as a teen - not sure why I did it either.

Thanks so much for playing! Great Job!

Tiggerlane said...

{i}post - oh, it's very real...and I only had about 20 minutes of computer time to write it, b/c of my reality!

sayre - it's really more fun than I let on - she's an awesome kid.

heather - thanks so much! And the 11PM...was so true. I was beat.

dr. john - thanks so much! I can do much better with a little time and forethought.

richies - it was really tough - not my favorite, either. And there is a group that does this type of assignment EVERY WEEK. It was hard enough to do it just once!

mommywizdom - thank you so much for hosting! And your compliment means a lot, coming from the wordzle queen!

Vinny "Bond" Marini said...

ah kids...gotta love em...can't ship them off to a third world country!

LOL

I used to just close the door to matt's room so i did not have to deal with it all!

karisma said...

LOL Very clever post! And yes I have raised four teenagers lately! So know just where you are coming from! I am hoping the little fella is doing the reverse where the mess is concerned as his room is worse than the teenagers at the moment! Black bookcases???? Thats even worse than my oldest painting her room the same colour as your background here! Dark purple! Thank god she got over it quickly!

BS said...

Wonderful story - like someone above said, I hardly noticed that you had to use certain words.

Woodlandmama said...

Oh. You make it sound so wonderful I can't wait until the next two years go by and I have one of my very own. (Somehow sarcasm doesn't come across well in comments). Great job!

Raven said...

Well done! You worked the words in so smoothly. Great job.

IamwhoIam said...

Hey you got all the word and are still mostly sane.

Anonymous said...

Can I relate to this? Naaahhh!
You wove your words beautifully. Your writing never lets me down!

Alison said...

it sounds to me like someone needs to purchase their very own laptop!!

I have the same creature in my house, I am actually enjoying her teen years, so far they have not been bad, of course she is only 13 so don't burst my bubble yet!!

NariceatL4 said...

That was great!! It's like the words were meant just for you--and wonderful photos to match.

My youngest daughter has passed her teenage years and still lives at home--and I still have to close her door to not see her ridiculous room!

jsi said...

Finally let's you on the computer - and it happened to me tonight, too. It was almost a Fun Tuesday.
Your assignment looks amazingly realistic, especially about the Ramen soup.

Have a great day.

Anonymous said...

Love the story...now, where's the car?

Tiggerlane said...

bond - we CAN'T?!?!? Gotta go catch that UPS man...

karisma - black almost EVERYTHING...she would have had black and red walls, if I had let her.

bs - thanks, b/c it was painfully obvious to me...I felt "restrained" by the words.

woodlandmama - and I got a pretty good one - she hardly ever screams obscenities at me!

raven - many thanks! Believe it or not, "tequila" was my biggest challenge.

iamwhoiam - mostly - that's the key word in that sentence.

min - thank you! Yours is always great - but then, you've had teenagers to educate you, longer than I have!

alison - when they hit high school, that's when the fun starts...

nariceat14 - I keep thinking mine will leave when she is 18, is it wrong to hope she does?

jsi - thanks - and I'm glad I'm not the only late night blogger!

i'm toni - good to know that I'm not alone with the doorknob thing - maybe I need to get some hooks for her walls?

swampy - it won't be released to the public until late 2009! I'm just pondering a "pre-order" - to get READY!

Jo Beaufoix said...

I fell used, hee hee. Thanks for the mention, and I loved this post. I am soooo looking forward to teenagers...

Anonymous said...

can't wait! great post

Alice in Wonderbread said...

clapclapclap

I agree with Dr. John. It's so well written you don't notice the words. A very tough thing to do, and well...wow. Color me impressed. With pictures to boot! I think this one wins the prize if there is one.

Tiggerlane said...

jo beaufoix - yes, totally used...and don't worry, you will LOVE those teenager years! LOL!

grace - thank you so much!

alice in wonderbread - I truly appreciate that...and yeah, I figured the pictures would "push me over the top." I'm competitive that way! LOL!

Clarence said...

I like your true story. I think that you're at least being honest. I had to put the nb down the bottom of my blog because possibly the mother-in-law is reading it. Hence it's not a true story. Actually your kids sound cool. :)

Desert Songbird said...

My kids' rooms are...well, horror stories would be putting it kindly. The maids don't dare go in there.