The Joys of Parents with Teens

This is what we woke up to this morning.

My 13 year old, somehow, has acquired quite a following of girls. He's always walking them home after dark, taking long meaningful walks on the bike trails with them or things of that nature. I can't tell if they are just friends or if they really like him as something more. Which is WEIRD to me because my Just is very unassuming. He's quiet, for the most part (at least around family). He's very shy, artistic, musical, loves spouting off random scientific or historical facts and is a very sensitive guy (except when it comes to his brothers - oy vey!). He swears he's different at school. Less broody and more outgoing. I asked him why I don't get to see THAT kid in my house more often. He can't give me a reason. I think the boys is living a double life.

Justis has never had much of a self esteem although I've seen him coming out of his shell a little more since his older brother went to live with their father this summer (Justis didn't want to go). He used to live in the shadow of my 16 year old, thinking he wasn't as good athletically or academically as Christian - it didn't help that my oldest was always putting him down either, but I dealt with that directly (!). So, in a way, Christian's going to live with my ex, was a very good thing for Justis.

 So you can imagine my amazement when I see girls coming to the house wanting to see him. He's either going to be 'the Mack' or he's on the path to coming out of the closet (you know, that guy with all the girl friends but no girlfriends). I could care less either way, it's just the sociology of it all as it unfolds intrigues me.

Anyway, thankfully it didn't rain because I would have been thoroughly pissed off (not like I don't have enough people to clean up after, sure don't need cleaning after kids I don't even know). I'm happy that (1) it didn't rain, (2) that it wasn't too much toilet paper and (3) that they HAD to be short girls cause they only seemed to touch the bottom parts of the trees.

They even wrote on J's car. Luckily it was only on his windows because he'd JUST gotten it washed yesterday.

Oooh, hearts! Someone's diggin' them some Justis 

...and thank goodness it WAS washable. We have polite vandals.
J was on his way to work when he found this on his car.
He had to clean it before leaving. 

Justis better be glad I just took him to Oklahoma last night to spend the Xmas holiday with his father and my oldest or he'd be outside right now cleaning all this up. Now it's up to me and the little ones. (sung to the tune of Jingle Bells) "Oh what fun... it is to clean up toilet papered trees..." 

So
No harm, no foul, I guess. But seriously, dudes, this better be the last of it. I can't take cleaning up after giddy little girls all through high school next year. Four years of toilet papering? I need to get a guard dog.