On my birthday my mother gave me her idea of the most practical gift possible. To her it was what every girl my age should own! What’s happening to me? was a book dealing with puberty and every single change I’d be exploring both physically and mentally. Unfortunately to me it was the most painstakingly embarrassing gift I have ever unwrapped in a room with all my friends, who had by then burst into a fit of laughter. We all had surpassed the age that we’d begun their ‘journey to adulthood’. My mother of course, did not sense my mortification.
I stayed in my room out of anger towards my mother and didn’t talk to her for two days. My mother, misinterpreting my silence made another stop to Chapters and got me a present worse than the last. She walked into my bedroom teary-eyed and handed me another book. Hello Cruel World read the front cover. I couldn’t help but giggle a little, more like a lot. It was a book about suicidal teens for goodness sake!
“Please know that your father and I, we’re here to help.” She started. “I was watching a documentary about troubled teenagers last night, and now I know why you haven’t been completely… with us these past few days. You’ve been so distant and sad. Did you know suicide is the second highest cause of death among teenagers? You can’t be part of those statistics, I won’t let you! I want you to know there’s other ways to cope.”
I knew I should have appreciated my mothers caring, however odd gestures, but at that time I let my anger get the best of me. She was so unaware or everything around her.
“Mom you’re crazy, I’m not depressed!” I yelled. And with that I stormed out of my house slamming the door behind me as I left. I came home later that night going straight to my room to avoid my parents.
The next day at school I was called to the guidance counselor’s office. Mrs. Moore, the woman who would rather chew her gum like a cow and watch soap operas on her tiny office television set, went straight into the problem. She tried her best to hurriedly ‘help’ so she could go back to a world of secret lovers and unknown siblings.
“Your mother called me and asked if I could speak to you. From what I’ve heard, I’d just like to tell you what you’re going through is normal.” She said. “It’s okay to feel angry and frustrated. These are just normal symptoms of teen angst.”
I could not believe what I was hearing. The ‘talk’ I had with my guidance counselor, in which I hardly spoke, continued on for about ten minutes after that. That was when she practically shoved me out and went back to Days of Our Lives.
I went home to find my mother making dinner. “Mom, I spoke to the guidance counselor today, I don’t know where you got these ideas but I’m not angry.”
She came and gave me a hug. “Then what is it baby?” –A girl my age should never, I mean never, be referred to as baby by her mother! - “Are you upset at your friends? Don’t give in to anything they try to pressure you into. I hear this behavior is normal among a group of kids your age…”
“Mom, have you ever considered that I was fine? JUST FINE! Nothings wrong with me, gosh!”
“But I’ve read that these issues are common among teenagers… it was in my day, I know that!” She was dazed.
“It may be common for some teens, but in my case there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Alright.” She said, but I could tell she wasn’t convinced. I decided to give up; I knew my mother would never stop trying to understand teenagers.