Exam time leads to a very tense atmosphere in our household. Examination stress coupled with a teenager who loves to argue over anything and everything is equivalent to a very anxious household. (However, I do feel that she has the making of a very competent lawyer if she continues with the current level of arguing and counter arguments that is.)
This coupled with the fact that I am myself recuperating from surgery means that our endurance levels are not very high.
But it is a case of just deserts actually. I was myself a very argumentative teenager and made life absolutely miserable for my parents. Now I know what they went through when I argued about every teeny weeny thing like why can't I always live in one pair of jeans to a pretty legitimate one like why do I have to take science after class xth to big ones like difference of opinion on Mandal Commission etc. The level of inane arguments can be judged by one incident in which I recall arguing about why it was totally unnecessary to wash cucumber because we anyway remove peel before eating...please don't laugh.
After so many years when our daughter starts giving one counter arguments after another on why just one hour of study is enough for her because she is an all-rounder A+ student makes me want to cry out in exasperation and mental agony. I talk to other parents and realise we are not alone in this boat. Most of the parents of my generation wear a unique expression of haggardness, anguish and helplessness. In short it is defined as `I am living with a teenager" nowadays.
There are perks of course. We have conversations about the fashion, which is nice (it is a different matter that I am mostly listening in these discussions). The joy of singing inane lyrics of `hookah bar' or sometimes even old songs like zindagi ek safar hai suhana' loudly with your teenager is a joy unparalleled (it does happen sometimes). She understands my jokes, which is also nice.
Sometimes, without any warning whatsoever the daughter would turnaround and say, "You could have been the best mom in the world if you were not so strict." Hmmm...I didn't get the prize but I was close enough.
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