The Teenager Theorum

I work with teenagers. And don't get me wrong - they are some of the best teenagers. My process of selecting the teens we hire (at least my mental process) is complicated. There's certain things that come into play in terms of putting the team together each summer, applying different strengths and weaknesses to the bigger picture. But all in all, they are good kids.

And it's always the quiet ones that surprise you.

I am sometimes afraid when I see teenagers on the street. I overhear their conversations, and they seem....petty.

Maybe now it's because I'm a mother. Other things are a priority for me, and maybe I've forgottenwhat it's like to be a teenager.

Or maybe I was a different kind of teenager.

I wasn't one to talk about fashion, or who the hottest celeb is, or to be completely and totally crazy over a latte. I know girls will be girls.

But I think it scares me to see what teens are capable of in terms of human empathy and kindness. It scares me nowadays to see their work ethics and their sense of entitlement. The way they talk about strangers judgmentally, loudly, and sometimes rudely.

I know we've got some time before Anna's teenage years, and I know it's probably normal to worry about how your child will grow up and who they will grow up to be.

But if I hear one more person say "Oh, a girl - girls are the worst as teenagers!" I will punch them in the face.

Listen jerkface, I was a teenage girl once too, and I wasn't such a crazy *****.

And P.S. all girls are crazy. We're just different shades of crazy. Get used to it.