Not only mom’s but dads have to pick there battles when it comes to teens. As Charlie gets older I’ having trouble where I should step back and let Charlie fail. This why I wanted to share a new article “When the Teen Is Still Asleep and Drivers Ed Isn’t Driving Itself“.
It’s 1 PM and the teen is STILL asleep. Not me. Not the dogs. Not David. C. The teenager ie C. Today we just have Charlie no, friends. No, B. The one who swears he’s “not tired” at 2 AM but sleeps like he’s been working a double shift at a steel mill.
I cracked Charlie’s door earlier and he didn’t even flinch. Just rolled over like a burrito and kept right on dreaming. Meanwhile, Bear and Pheobie have already had breakfast, second breakfast, hallway patrol, and a full ballet performance. The world has moved on. The teen has not. I eve brought him a cup of Coffee.
Teen life is wild. Some teens are in school. Some are homeschooled. Some are doing online classes. Some are in that weird in‑between space where they’re figuring out what works. And some — like mine — are in the “I’ll get up when I get up” phase that tests every ounce of patience I have left.
But here’s the thing: responsibility doesn’t clock out just because teens do.
We’ve got Drivers Ed to finish. We’ve got chores that magically never get done. We’ve got to get his application in for John Peter Smith that has been pending for weeks. And we’ve got a follow‑up call he needs to make to his boss.
Yes — the follow‑up call.
Charlie called Saturday which was the weekend, and he didn’t get an answer, and immediately declared, “Well, I tried.” No sir. That’s not how life works. We follow up. We show up. We try again. We don’t blow up the phone, but we do check back in. That’s how adults handle things, and adulthood is coming whether he’s ready or not.
Last night I will call and this was before 4. I asked again at 7 and no, but I will. Then its 10 and its to late to call. I woke C up at 7am and asked if Ceaser his boss had called and he said no. I reminded Charlie its 11:30 and he should call to see if he is working tomorrow. Sleep is more important.
So, today’s homeschool prompt which can be used in real life with kids and adults alike and it is simple and doable — even for a sleepy teen:
“Write 5 sentences about something you learned this weekend — and draw a picture to match.” It doesn’t matter if your child has graduated this teaches them life keeps moving no, matter what.
It doesn’t matter if the lesson came from Church which C skipped again, TV, YouTube, or something overheard while pretending not to listen. Learning is learning. Writing is writing. Drawing is drawing. And sometimes, the simplest assignments are the ones that actually get done.
Drivers Ed is non-negotiable today. Because the car doesn’t drive itself. Because adulthood doesn’t magically appear at 18. Because David is tired of being the only one who knows how to merge. And because one day, Charlie is going to need to get himself to work, to school, to life — and his dad won’t always be the chauffeur.
When Charlie finally wakes up, he’ll shuffle into the kitchen, hair everywhere, blanket wrapped around him, and ask, “What’s for lunch or dinner or for Charlie breakfast?” And I’ll point to the skillet and say, “Food. Now let’s get your day started.”
Teens are a whole adventure. A whole mystery. A whole comedy show. But they’re ours. And we’re raising them one sleepy Monday at a time. Again, this is why the circle is unbroken and this is my Circus and yes, these are my Monkes today.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
