Good Point

home title Posted on Mar 17th, 2011 | 50 comments home title

Overheard in the Gardner household:

Me: “Sweetie, I’m sorry you’re sad. Come here. I want to tell you something about life.”

Daughter (pulling away): “I already know about life, mom—I’ve been living it for eleven years.” (Runs upstairs.)

Have a good weekend!

© 2011 Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent

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  • steeleweed

    >My favorite Fridge magnet says:
    Teenagers! Tired of parents bossing you around? Leave home now and run you own life while you still know everything!

    The best thing about kids is that they make adults out of their parents. :-)

  • Jan

    >Oh, I remember those days. My daughter knew "way" more than me right up until the day she had her first child and suddenly I became the one with all the answers again.

  • Aimee L Salter

    >*Laughsnort*

    My son is only four. But I had a similar experience with a 16 year old niece who informed me "Fashion changes, like, ALL the time now. It's hard to keep up with the trends. Not like when you were my age."

  • Janet

    >The most common one in our house is "Mom you don't know anything about ___________ (fill in the blank)." Followed by the completely unapologetic sounding, "No offense."

  • Becky Johnson

    >Love this…. and she really does have a point. Eleven years of living is nothing to sneeze at! And in fact, she may be hitting the toughest years of life. I wouldn't give anything to go back to being in Jr. High again.

  • Ca88andra

    >Love it! I'm so over my boys knowing everything better than me, however I guess its karma from when I knew everything better than my parents!

  • otin

    >Silly you! Did you really think that you could teach an eleven year old anything? lol Didn't we know it all when we were eleven?

  • Anita Saxena

    >Love this!

  • B.E. Sanderson

    >Wait until the magic moment when she's older and she realizes 'YES, Mom really does know everything'. It's a golden moment and so fleeting. I wish I'd taped it.

  • Linda Jackson

    >Amazingly timely post. Thanks for sharing.

  • Wendy Walker

    >As the parent of a 17 year old daughter that comes to me (and always has) about everything from boys to back stabbing "friends" (amazing how mean and catty girls can be in 3rd grade), I can tell you why she ran away. I'm sure it wasn't your intent, but you talked down to her with that smug statement. If you want them to trust you, then you have to talk to them as you would your own friend with an upsetting problem. Would you listen to someone that pretty much said "You're so inept at handling your own problems that you need my help to understand?" Daily, I hear my daughter use my advice as she talks to her friends.

  • Katie Ganshert

    >That. is. awesome.

    I want to hang out with your daughter (and I mean that in a completely non-creepy way).

  • Jen Daiker

    >Hilarious!!!

    A friend of mine blogs about her child and calls her monster baby. The other day she saw her mom doing yet another post and said…

    "MOM! You call me Monster Baby? I'm not a baby I'm a child."

    So cute! Happy Friday!

  • Wendy Paine Miller

    >I love this, wait, I've lived this. :D

    (Katie, you crack me up.)

    Hello from Florida. Spending time with my mom right now. She still teaches me so much.

    Hope you have a great weekend, Rachelle!
    ~ Wendy

  • Andrew

    >"Uh, Rufus?"

    "Rufus…"

    "RUFUS!"

    "Oh, rats."

    (Rufus is a Jack Russell)

  • Timothy Fish

    >When I was young, I remember my grandfather asking me how much money I had. I didn't want to tell him, so I responded, "enough." He thought that was funny because he took it to mean that I thought I had enough money for the rest of my life. He mentioned that to people several times after that. What I actually meant was that I had all I needed for that moment.

  • Anonymous

    >I got a good chuckle when I read it. Sure did need it. Also Wendy is correct, if we talk down to our children then we loose their respect. My husband and I have always tried to talk to our daughter like she is an intelligent person and now at age 15 she is more wise and mature than peers.

  • Penny Linsenmayer

    >My nearly-10 yr old daughter has started making similar comments and pulling away from me when I try to console her. It's so sad when you can no longer fix all their problems with a hug and words of comfort. And yeah, I agree with whoever said that I would not go back to middle school again for anything – what a nightmare that's going to be to re-live it somewhat through my kids.

  • Choices

    >I smiled when I read this post. Teenagers do come up with the best lines. Love it!

  • Karyn

    >Loved this post! I have a 12 y/o daughter whose favorite move right now is the condescending eye-roll. Every time I want to kill her I remember that I dished out the same (okay worse) to my parents. :)

    Have a good day, Rachelle, and thanks for the blog! It really is helpful to all of us who are trying to break in!

  • Amy Mac

    >My 11-year-old daughter's quote of the day: "Jeggings for men? That is a TERRIBLE idea."

    Their wisdom, while simplistic, is often spot-on.

    Happy weekend!

  • Jen J. Danna

    >Ah… teenaged and preteen daughters. I know them well, having two myself. And that comment was spot on! Good to see that they all know everything, not just mine. Thanks for the morning smile…

  • Mark H.

    >The proper response to this is, of course:

    "Ok. More ice cream for me!"

  • Beth K. Vogt

    >Interestingly, our kids are often wiser than we realize.
    And I mean this in a good way.

  • Eliza T

    >As my 19-year-old daughter prepared to drive back to college last weekend, I handed her a twenty-dollar bill. She wrinkled her nose and said, "What's this for?"

    Me: I guess I'm trying to buy your love.

    Her: I'm wounded if you think this is all it takes.

  • Julie Gillies

    >Just wait till she's 13 or 14, Rachelle–it only gets better (or umm, worse…). Better start preparing now: Stockpile chocolate. Lots of it. ;)

  • Tamika:

    >Your daughter must be friends with my eleven year old. When did we lose our voice?

    Oh well, love that I'm not alone in the rejection:)

  • Misty

    >Oh my goodness! That is my ELEVEN year old… through and through. The expert on all things…

  • Jackie

    >Never mind. Like Mark Twain (although he applied this to his father)by the time she gets to twenty she'll probably be amazed how much you've learnt in nine years!

  • Krista Phillips

    >holy cow! I have a ten-year-old daughter and this could have totally been a conversation between the two of us… in fact has been. *sigh* I was horrible at "life" when I was in the 4th grade… and now I'm supposed to instruct my daughter at how to deal with it!

    This should be interested… especially since I have four girls!

  • Anonymous

    >How nice! When I see parents verbally or physically abuse their children in public, I try to alert the authorities–a security guard, a teacher or whoever I can. It's no wonder there are so many criminals and abusers out there when children are mistreated by their parents. After all, we lead by example.

  • Dineen A. Miller

    >Raising teens today is a big challenge. Rachelle, you know I adore you so I'm sharing a link to a post I wrote about raising teens with the hopes it will in some small way help keep your chin up as you have for me so many times, my friend. Hugs!

    http://lacedwithgrace.com/prayer/parenting-struggling-teens/

  • Mischia

    >"Bless your heart!" (Spoken with a southern twang.)

    I have 3 daughters. I understand some of the emotions whirling around your house!

  • marion

    >What are jeggings? (Guess I'm an old fogey!)
    Rachelle, thanks so much for this post. It rescued my week-old blog from the doldrums. The link's up there. I hope all my friends will see it & laugh.
    Thanks, y'all, for your funny comments as well.

  • Kathryn Magendie

    >*laugh* And that's why I love writing about kids at that age. :-D

  • Katlen

    >Great post!

    My daughter is the same way…they know everything and tell you what you want to hear. I agree with (Ca88andra) it's Karma, I used to be the same way.

  • Lars

    >I still say this to my 30+ boys!

  • Lars

    >. . . and they respond the same!

  • Kristin

    >Awwww…that lovely age where you know just enough to think you know everything.

    Not sure if that's better than my current stage which is knowing enough to realize I know nothing.

  • Tin Cup

    >At that age they know everything already. In another couple years she'll actually start explaining to you what she knows and why she's right and you just don't get it. Ah, to be young again.

    http://forty9andcounting.blogspot.com/

  • Linda Hoye

    >Ah to be that wise!

  • Robin

    >Well. I guess she TOLD you!

  • Philip Isles

    >When I was 9 my mom came into my room and found me writing on my ol' Apple IIGS. When she asked me what I was writing I said, "my memoirs."

    I don't know what I wouldn't give to have those pages back!

  • Kelly Combs

    >I love the comment from the lady who asked what jeggings were. Jeans + leggings = jeggings!

    I have an 11 yr old too, so I loved your story. Hope she is feeling better!

  • Shelly Goodman Wright

    >I've got an eleven-year old myself. Our big arguement this weekend was over ordering from the 'kids' menu. I've got three girls, 11, 9, and 7; all girly and emotional (and I'm not much better). My poor husband! LOL

  • Gwen Stewart

    >I am reallly late in responding to this post, but WOW, Rachelle. I think our daughters would be good friends. She's 11 going on 12 going on 45. And I'm either the wise hero or the dorky minivan mom. Often in the same minute.

    Thanks for sharing! :)

  • Hallie

    >Ha! I have one of those, too. My eleven-year-old daughter says, "I know" to E-VERY-THING! If I had a dime for every "Mom, I KNOW!"….:)

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