Recently, I spent some quality time with my Goddaughter. She has officially hit the age every parent dreads...her teenage years. Our bond is so sacred that she can shoot me a text, call, even a message on Facebook about ANYTHING that's on her mind.
Did I mention the word, anything? Anyhoo...
She wanted to know what was some of her Godmother's favorite things as a 13-year-old. I began to squirm on the bench we sat on and I also felt my appetite go away as I reminisced on those awkward days. Since teens and tweens have it so easy to connect, I can remember how tough we've had it... so here goes.
Social media was just a thought in the year 2000. It probably was just a pure imagination (sorry, Willy Wonka and Gene Wilder) in the minds of Mark Zuckerburg and Tom, the MySpace guy. Our kind of social media was going to see who was at the park, or the fun hotspot, the mall. You know mall, a big place with little shops inside? No, ok, I'll keep going...
A very select few of us (like yours truly) had cell phones. Not the sleek iPhones and Androids that today's teens have, but we had the big and bulky cell phones. We had the cell phones in which you felt so special when you got a call, you lifted the antenna up. You were really the business when you owned a flip phone and after having a so-called dramatic call, you closed that phone like a vixen making a dramatic exit on a telenovela. In addition, I was lucky to see my phone during the weekdays. The only time I could have my phone during the week was if I was attending an event after school and I needed to call my mom and nana.
Speaking of school, I remember getting massive backaches all the time because of the amount of books I had to carry. You see, textbooks were all the rage, and the thicker the book was, the juicier the material was. I just had a flashback of how heavy my math book was...I'm shuddering. Does ANY school district in America still have textbook rentals? Or did we all transition to the technology fee?
As a teenager, I was so caught up in the hottest music. The louder the music, the more engaged I was into learning the songs and calling the popular radio station to request that song over and over again. I wouldn't mind attending a concert with an attendance size of 20,000 and more. My preference of a concert now... attending a local music and restaurant place with an audience of 50 or less and listening to quieter music like jazz or spoken word. Even open mic nights are my thing.
Goodness, since when did I become so... mellow?
As I'm getting older, I have accepted this new normal in my life. It makes me appreciate the new things I'm enjoying as well as accepting the former, teenage (and awkward) self of myself.
I told my Goddaughter to embrace these years. The years will go by so fast for her. She's going to be a 7th grader this fall and before you know it, she'll be off to college in a few short years.
That's something I want to say to all of the new-school Millennials as they start the newest chapter of their lives. To make every moment count. Don't let what somebody says about you—your worse enemy that you will encounter in middle school will probably be your best friend in adulthood. They will be the shoulder that you can cry on, that one person that you can call at 3AM, or even, your maid of honor at your wedding.
There was one final question my Goddaughter had for me before I had to take her home.
Her: Will I enjoy going to bed early on some nights?
Me: Why yes, you will! Seeing your bed after a long day at work is the best gift of the day!
Her: That sucks. Being old like you is going to be no fun.
Thanks a lot.
