Matching couples??
As I lay on my sisters floor earlier, I started browsing through her text messages. She was sitting right next to me so she didn’t mind. I came across a text from her boyfriend asking “Is it okay if I go play basketball with my cousin?” This intrigued me, so I ask Keynna why her boyfriend (Hector) was asking for permission. “Oh, he always asks me before he can do something.” She said this as if it was totally normal. Now, let me remind you, she’s 16. At this point I’m thinking wow, I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing. I keep scrolling through her messages and find one asking which shirt should he wear to school. Come to find out, this is a regular occurrence. Apparently every night he’ll send a picture of what he plans to wear to school – FOR HER APPROVAL! I ask her what’s the point of this and she says “just to make sure we match.”
This brought up another topic. According to my sister, couples in high school try and match their outfits every day, as a testimony of their exclusiveness. She backs up this statement by showing me her friends Facebook pages. Sure enough, I see dozens of little couples in coordinating outfits, from head to toe. Now I don’t understand any of this and I don’t think I ever will. But it definitely brings me amusement. Maybe I’ll check her texts on a weekly basis, just for a chuckle.
In my head…
I’ve done a lot of talking about my sister and my two girls in this blog. I figured I’d put a face to a name, enjoy.
Now that football season is over (in high school anyway) Keynna’s Friday nights have suddenly become “open.” Now, instead of wanting to go watch the game, she’s wanting to spend the night at her friends house. EVERY FRIDAY. When I was growing up I was never allowed to spend the night somewhere else. Instead, my friends would come to my house.
“Why can’t she spend the night here?” I ask.
“Because her parents are cool,” she responded.
Since when am I not cool? I’m thinking to myself. She must’ve noticed the puzzled expression on my face. She quickly reassured me that I was also cool, but they were cooler because they’re “old.” Okay, I can live with that. I’m not completely sure of her staying over there, but I do let her. Though, not without warning her that I can make a surprise visit at ANY TIME OF NIGHT.
In my head I imagine them saying goodnight to her (Ambers) parents, with sweatpants and hair in a ponytail. They dash upstairs, strip off the sweatpants and oversized t-shirt to reveal their “going out” clothes. They wait about a half hour or so and put an ear to her door, to make sure it’s silent downstairs. When they hear nothing, they climb out of the window, hop in the car and take off for a night of God-knows-what. Ugh. She’s staying home next Friday night.
Day off? Not so
Today is Columbus Day (Yes, I know this blog is late). My sister assumed she had a “day off” from watching the girls. Yes, she did not have to go to school today, unfortunately for her, I did. My girls woke up at 8:30 a.m. so I tried to set them up with cereal and cartoons before class this morning. My lovely sister decides she’s going to fight with me to get out of bed. I’m in a hurry, so I start yelling at her (since talking obviously doesn’t work). Next thing you know, I apparently RUIN her morning and she starts ranting about me on Facebook.
Just 20 minutes ago I call to check on my kids and they’re TAKING A NAP!! They haven’t even been awake 3 hours and already they’re napping? I call and she tells me she put them to bed because they were fighting. Really, they’re six and two? They live fighting. So I get on to her AGAIN for being lazy and staying up on her phone. I tell her that since I called in to work yesterday and she was supposed to babysit, her “day off” was yesterday. This is a constant battle. Keynna’s always trying to find excuses/reasons to get out of babysitting. I understand her, she’s 16 but she also gets paid. I probably shouldn’t have to, since she’s home anyway, but I feel guilty.
I told her I was going to call back in half an hour to make sure she woke up my girls. If they’re not awake, I plan on taking away her phone when I get home. I’m doing her a favor: If I take away her phone, she won’t be up all night chatting and texting away, she’ll get enough sleep and NOT be grouchy in the morning. Problem avoided. : )
Finally, the day she was waiting for
It’s 11 p.m. and my little sister is at her very first Homecoming…and she’s still not home. I called to see where she was, “at the game” she said. I then ask her for the score, basically, just to find out if she can respond quick enough and make me think she’s not lying. She passed.
All week I would come home to a table full of paint and glitter (this got annoying very quickly). She spent the entire week making t-shirts, not only for herself but for some friends. Apparently, my sister has a hidden talent I did not know about. She also made her new boy a garter, which actually came out pretty nice. But the real highlight was when she received a picture of the mum she was going to receive. This was the moment she had been waiting for…drumroll please …and….nothing. She hated it. “It’s so ugly! It looks cheap!” I then remind her to be grateful telling her that at least she got one. “I am grateful, but is it possible to be grateful and disappointed?” (this later became her Facebook status). This literally ruined her day. And it was just a picture! Fast forward to today and I see the thing. She was right. It did look cheap and I told her. But she had finally come to peace with it and quit complaining. Turns out she didn’t wear the mum at school -she left it in one of her classrooms all day. When her new boy (not her boyfriend but the guy she’s “talking to”) asks of its’ whereabouts she told him it was too heavy and was afraid it would fall and get ruined. Good one Keynna.
So, I’m glad to report that I made it through the week, I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be. I’m actually kind of excited to hear what she has to tell me. I didn’t end up letting her stay the night at her friend’s house, so I’m waiting up for her. Great Friday night for me…
Homecoming is upon us…
Homecoming is next week. Apparently, I’ve forgotten what a big deal this is according to my sister Keynna. I’ve listened to her pace around the house, talking, texting, “making plans” all week. “So when is she planning on asking for permission?” is all I’m thinking. Because when I went to my Jr. Homecoming (11 years ago) I remember coming home at midnight. Am I being old fashioned to expect the same?
After I overhear her telling her friend she’s going to spend the night at her house, I finally ask “Well that’s nice but did you plan on asking?” OF COURSE she was, she was just covering her bases. Now, I remember my Homecoming night and I can only imagine what kind of crazy stuff goes on now. I’m pretty sure I’ll give her permission but I don’t want to tell her just yet. I figure if I tell her now she’ll have WAY too much time to plan some wild night. No thank you. I’ll just wait to the last minute. In the meantime I’m sure I’ll be picturing lots of drunken dry humping, dreading next Friday. The best I can do is give her a good talk and hope for the best. Who knows, if she’s anything like me she’ll tell the guy she’s not ready, leave the hotel room and book it home. I’ll keep you posted! : )
Friday Night Lights
So, this is my first time blogging and I decided to base it around something that brings me constant enjoyment -the “hard” life of my 16-year-old sister, Keynna. Notice the quotes around the word hard, yes, that’s because on nearly a daily basis I have to hear about some drama at her school (usually about the opposite sex) or some lousy teacher, either way, I love it! I find myself living vicariously through her, after all, she is SO much cooler than I was in high school.
After using the “I’m going to sleep” line, she ditched her boyfriend to go the the football game. “Why don’t you just tell him?,” I ask. This was a dumb question because OBVIOUSLY (not so much to me) she wouldn’t be able to hang with her friends in peace (her guy friends). One hour later, HER boyfriend texts me looking for her. Now, I like this kid and I kind of feel bad lying to him, so I ignore the text. I then text my sister asking what should I tell him – “tell him I’m asleep.” After some minor deliberation, I decide not to, after all it’s high school and someone, somewhere would tell him they saw “his girl” with a bunch of guys. Long story short, the situation was diffused – one week later they break up. Whew! But then I start thinking what next???
As much as I want to be the cool older sister, I am still her legal guardian. Filling the “mom” and “big sister” role for a boy crazy 16-year-old can be quite a hassle, especially when I’m only 28 taking care of my own two little girls. I’ve been filling these shoes for nearly three years now and I can definitely say that high school now is not what it used to be 10 years ago. Yes, it was just a football game and I’m sure there will be other times when she’ll ask me to lie for her. My dilemma is knowing when to switch my “shoes.”