Mother to Son by Melissa Harrison

Author:Melissa Harrison
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Published: 2013-04-09T04:00:00+00:00

Middle School

Remember, all boys rebel.

Demand respect. At all times.

Keep in mind that he’s not a child anymore, nor is he an adult. Treating him like either one will lead to disaster.

Keep kissing him good night. Even if he doesn’t kiss back.

The single best way to avoid turbulence in his teenage years is to surround him with love, stability, and family in his formative years.

Don’t shield him from the consequences of his bad behavior. Dealing with the aftermath of his actions will make him a better person.

If he’s caught cheating at school, don’t yell at the teacher. Lower the boom on him.

Ask him who the vice president of the United States is. Make sure he knows about the world he lives in.

Look him in the eye and tell him that if he ever starts doing drugs, life as he knows it will come to an end.

If he’s getting in trouble at school all the time, it probably is his fault.

Prepare to spend the next few years in the car, driving him and his friends around.

Play Beethoven in the mornings. It will calm everybody down.

State, in your harshest mother-voice, that under no circumstances, in this lifetime, may he jump off any roof into a pool.

Know that left unattended for one second, however, he will jump off the nearest roof into the nearest pool.

It’s hard for some moms to establish rules and stick to punishments for breaking those rules. Especially if there’s no man around. But you must.

Don’t be upset that you can’t afford everything he wants. A small country couldn’t even afford everything he wants.

Don’t negotiate the punishments for his wrongdoings after he’s been caught.

Tell him that studying hard and respecting his teachers’ authority are crucial to avoiding problems in school.

Teach him that trust is something that can be lost in the blink of a lie.

Remember, success breeds success.

He will want you to be his friend. But what he really needs is a mom.

Everything will smell better when he starts using soap. And deodorant. Regularly.

Be assured that fathers have been left alone with their sons for eons, and the human race has continued.

Talk to him. Ask questions. All the time. Let him know you’re aware of his life.

If you don’t teach him to do his laundry, you’ll be doing it for him for as long as he lives with you. And probably after.

Remind him not to mix whites with colors unless he wants to wear pink socks to gym class.

Remember: Kids who aren’t involved in any activities hate middle school. Kids who join extracurricular activities make tons of friends. And love middle school.

Do not let one single disrespectful comment slide. Ever.

He’s ready to learn about girls. He can either learn the facts from you, or get complete fiction from his friends and MTV.

Remind yourself that when he doesn’t want to talk to you about something, that’s when he most needs to.

He’ll never stay mad at you. You’re his mom.

Eat dinner as a family as often as possible. Talk about politics, the economy, sports, art—anything engaging.

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