Parenting Teens

I was just reading a column in the local paper on our local radio stations, when I remembered a discussion I had with several other bloggers. Paul, over at Toybender, started it by mentioning that he had heard a Hanson cover of the song “Optimistic.” Several other bloggers chimed in with comments about not knowing Hanson was still around.

This struck a chord with me (pun not really intended), because my 16-year-old daughter and her best friend have been die-hard Hanson fans over these many years. Now, when they first started out I (probably like many others) thought they were three cute kid brothers who sang a catchy little song called “Mmm-Bop.” For a long time after that I never gave them any thought. Then, two years ago, my daughter found out their latest concert tour was coming to a city near us.

Despite my misgivings about spending several hours at a SRO concert filled with screaming teenage girls, I finally agreed to take my daughter and her friend. It turned out to be a significant event in more than one way. For one thing, I found out that those little kids from Hanson, having grown up somewhat, could do some really good rock covers (as well as some pretty good songs of their own). Not that they’re going to replace the Rolling Stones any time soon but then, nobody’s going to do that!

But the really great thing about all this (yes, this is what I’ve taken this long and winding path to tell you) was that myself, my daughter,and her friend all had a really good time together! I shared one of my daughter’s favorite things and had a really good time doing it! This taught me a few things about myself, both as a parent and as a person.

1) Be willing to try things with your kids that they enjoy doing. It may seem
like a big sacrifice in the beginning, but you might find out (as I did) that,
rather than a drudge, it will turn out to be something fun.

2) If there’s something you haven’t done in a long time, give it another try.
Even if you didn’t like it before, you may find it has changed or
(pleasant surprise) you may find that YOU have changed!

3) And, probably most important of all, you CAN learn things from your teen.
Although you’re the parent and, supposedly, the one with the experience
in most things, you’re still not too old to learn from your teenager.

Let me hasten to add here (just in case anyone who knows my daughter should run across Mom’s blog and, heaven forbid, think that Hanson is the only musical interest she has) that my daughter also listens to OutKast, The Killers, Aerosmith and John Mayer among others. We’ve developed a system, when we’re in the car, of taking turns choosing which CD or radio station to listen to. I’ve developed some great new musical interests, and I’ve developed a closer bond with my daughter.

What could be better than that?

music, teens, teenagers, Hanson, concerts