J had a play this weekend. My mom came into town to see it, and Beloved and I went twice. E was going to come last night and miss today (due to the final softball game of the year), but then she ended up going to see Pirates 3 with friends last night, and so she left 1/2 way through her softball game today.
After school on Friday, E was picked up by a friend and went straight to a birthday party which was a sleepover. She was home for a few hours on Saturday, but then went to the movies with 3 other friends. She was dropped off at the site of J's play, and we left from there to a dessert restaurant, and were not home until 9:30. Today, E had cello and softball and then J's play.
So when friends asked us to go to dinner iwth them, I took into account my own exhaustion (see all that up there? Add in 4 hours of bar study per day and very early a.m. wake ups in order to fit it all in) as well as E's increasing grumpiness when I said no. J had tears initially, but by the time we walked home, we'd all come to terms iwth the fact that the best decision was definitely to come home.
Until.
J's friend called again to see if maybe, please, could just J have dinner with them? Beloved and I had a powow, and decided yes, just J *could* have dinner with them.
E cried. It's not fair. I love J better, b/c she's the youngest. I overcompensate J for being the youngest, thinking E gets everything, but instead giving J everything. Why did I buy J flowers for her play? I must love her better. Life is so unfair. Why do I keep telling E she is grouchy and overtired when she is not, it's not her, it's ME (i.e., MOM) who is the problem .... blah blah blah.
I went to give her a hug, and after holding her on my lap for a minute, forcefully told her she had to get in the shower NOW. I immediately, upon hearing the water turn on, went to the internet, and found what I was looking for:
As you enter puberty, the puberty hormones affect the glands that are under your arms and cause you to have "body odor." This is normal and everybody gets it, it can be more intense for some teens, and often you are just unlucky if you have a problem with body odor, but check out that link. and then:
Many teens DO sweat more when they are growing or while their hormones are still fluctuating.
Phew. But then, the very next paragraph?
Hormones are also responsible for the emotional changes that take place during puberty. You may feel confused, have emotional outbursts, feel sad, or have strong emotions or mood that change quickly. You might be overly sensitive or easily lose your temper. There are those crazy hormones working on you again. Yeah, no shit.Labels: *E*, *J*, parenting, weekends |
