Barbara, It feels like my children were just 8 yrs old yesterday! The time just seems to fly by. I mean, I swear I was just in high school myself, wasn't I?  I have a daughter who is a Freshman and a son who is a Senior. Don't get me wrong, there are definate perks to having older children. No more car seats, better yet, YOU CAN LEAVE THEM HOME. Do you remember what it is like to go to the mall or grocery store BY YOURSELF? It is fabulous. You and your husband can be a couple again. Just think, no need for a babysitter; you can go out to dinner with your husband any time you want. When you go to the beach or pool, you can sunbathe! No need to chase the children or prevent them from drowning. THEY carry in the groceries! You no longer need to force them to shower or bathe. Unfortunately, this part backfires because they shower at least 3 times a day. Each time leaving smelly clothes and wet towels. If the towels are not on the floor they will be crammed so tight in a ball on the towel bar that they could never possibly dry. Also, remember how soap and shampoo was enough to get your children clean? They now require scrubs, creams, washes, rinses, exfoliators, razors, gels, mousse, and thousands of other aids just to accomplish what soap used to do. All of these items are strategically placed around the ENTIRE bathroom. They emerge squeaky clean, however the bathroom is a shambles. Another perk is that they can cook for themselves (sort of), they will not starve without you. Mine have not completely mastered the art of cleaning up after this "cooking". Oh they do, but I often find bits of dried egg on my favorite skillet when I go to use it.
One bit of advice, you may want to abandon the "when you are 18" excuse. My son will be 18 in October, and he is just a Senior in high school. This is definately not the time you want them to decide "you are not the boss of me". You may want to revise it to "as long as you live in my home" or "because I am the Mom and it is my job to make sure you are taken care of and safe".
My best advice to parents of younger children is, NEVER let your children talk back to you, be fresh or disrespectful. This will only get worse as they get older. Do not let them question your authority. Of course it goes both ways, you must always be courteous and respectful as well. They model your behavior good and bad. My children may be typical messy teens but they are never disrespectful. I can live with the little annoyances if they do not give me a hard time about the big stuff.
I may complain, but I know my heart will ache when they move on. Enjoy them while they are young because it goes very quickly. Best, artist
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8 yr olds turn to 18 yr olds very quickly!
