There is a Teenager In My House (well almost...)

Four months from now...there will be a teenager in my house.  Here are a few signs of the times:

• Shocker of all shockers tonight, "Mom, do we have any hair gel?"  Hard to hold your face straight on this one and I'm pretty sure he would never ask this in front of his dad.  "Yes, it is on my vanity.  It's in a clear bottle...light purple."  "I just need a little because my hair is too straight in the front."  "Okay, you can use it.  You just need a little.  A little bit goes a long way."  Oh...how I'd like to have a hidden camera to video tape him trying it. 
• He's written two persuasive papers at school - both trying to convince us he needs a cell phone.  He's gotten an A on both (one last year and one just a couple of weeks ago).  I should be clear, the As are from his teachers, not from us.  We're probably going to hold out until the end of the summer....
• He has a new gmail account that he can chat with his friends.  In the course of five days, he's learned:
• Don't share they your password with your friends, "They will send emails using your email address."  And they did...so I quickly showed him how to change his password.
• Your mom reserves the right to walk in and read your email/chats at any time.  And may choose just the right time when you're saying you so angry at your mom for signing you up to distribute ashes at Ash Wednesday mass. Or, when your friend chats and says, "Hi ?!?*!"  And it may not be a cuss word that you think your mom knows...
• And this one I'm pretty sure his friends taught him:   how to delete from his deleted email so that your mom can't read things after the fact.
• And even though he'll be a teenager soon, he's still a little boy (who was stomping his feet last night because although he previously said he wouldn't mind distributing ashes at Ash Wednesday Mass, he is now very angry because it is all girls doing it with him.)  And, this is 100% my fault...thus comes the stomping feet.

My sweet little man, who regularly stands back to back with me and pretty soon...there will be no doubt that he is taller than his 5' 1" mom!