I’ve got two teenage boys. I’m watching their respective growth – physically and in asserting their growing independence – with both awe and concern. My older son has changed his “look” repeatedly all of his teen years, mostly with his hair length and color and cut, but lately he’s added tattoos to the mix. His younger brother has largely asserted his independence by acting independent and a bit defiant.
Continuing my b-vlog reading of “The Empty-Nest Road Trip Blues: An Interactive Journal from A Dad’s Point-of-View,” we move on to Day Seven and our visit to Cleveland and the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame. Get the PDF for $2.79 at BruceSallan.com or the Kindle version for $2.99 at Amazon. Also available in Nook and at Apple.
Photo from Wired.com by Zen Icknow
Drive-In Movies AKA Bruce’s Guide to the Evolution of Technology and His Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby*
With Guest Co-Author, Professor David E. Weber
The Evolution of Technology series continues with the drive-in movie, which was a rite-of-passage for so many teens back in the day.
What’s your favorite novel? Do you like Grisham? Prefer historical fiction? Romance? Epics? I’ve loved a lot of the great epic novels such as Herman Wouk’s WWII books, The Winds of War and War and Remembrance. I also liked great historical fiction like James Clavell’s Asian Saga of King Rat, Tai-Pan, Shōgun, Noble House, Whirlwind, and Gai-Jin. What about the Fifty Shades of Grey? Is that your cup of tea? My favorite book of all-time is Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett. What are yours?
You saw and loved Anna From Barcelona…She’s BACK!
#DadChat is again taking on teens Thursday, March 15 – from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. PST – with co-hosts @Josepf and @Milaspage. The homework is the There IS Hope column about one parent’s journey with one teen and – for the time being – the happy ending. Yes, “There IS Hope” with your teens.
My wife dragged me to her church for an all-day seminar called “Turbulence Ahead–Parenting Teens Through the Bumpy Years.” I went along, in support of her and in support of her recent “turbulence” with our oldest son, who is 16½ and a handful. But, my initial reaction was that this was a long time to spend on a subject that I know pretty well, which is that raising teens is no picnic.
At the seminar, it was quickly evident that my knowledge on the subject could certainly use a refresher, if not a full-on course. Within minutes, I grabbed the pen that we were given and I began taking notes. I ran out of space and in no time, I filled up the supplied notes sections of the program brochure.
There’s nothing new dealing with teens that think they know it all, but recently I’ve found that my 13-year-old is making me crazy with his attitude. I’ve got another teen at home – his 16-year-old brother, so I do have some experience living with a teen, but it doesn’t get any easier!
David and I occasionally go on short ski trips together, without his step-mom or older brother, and that is when David’s attitude tends to fully blossom. This “attitude” manifests itself in his regularly contradicting everything I say, questioning why he has to do something I ask him to do, and generally being constantly contrary.
