Freaking Teenagers

This doesn't even have a link, it is simply a vent.

I will start first, and move backward.

I just had a conversation with my daughter about Japan. I asked her what the islands were called, and how far away the nuclear blasts were from where she will be visiting. I also asked if her fellow Japanese students all were able to reach their families.

a) She didn't know Japan HAD names for their Islands, let alone what they call the Island where she will be (may be) staying in June.
b) She KIND of knew how many reactors had exploded, but didn't really know which one(s) or where.
c) She showed no real interest or knowledge of her fellow Japanese students, or the status of their families or their hometowns.

I know this shouldn't surprise me much, as teenagers go, but it pisses me off. And it pisses me off because when we sit down and I ask her these questions and she doesn't know the answer, she acts pissed off at me! I finally told her, Look - you are getting ready to be on your own. In less than 2 years you are going to have to figure out how to navigate the world ON YOUR OWN. I told her, your most valuable asset, besides your teacher, the library, and me IS THE INTERNET.

The whole time we were having this "conversation" (I was talking, and she was being disrespectful and acting like she was in trouble, even though I gave her the chance to speak, and asked why she was acting so put out that I was having this conversation with her when she wasn't even in trouble. no answer for a very long time, and then just "I don't know" . SO - my answer was - great! If you can't show me more interest in the country for which you have spent the past four years of your life learning how to speak their language, I WILL change your curriculum to include Asian History - which you so eloquently expressed you didn't want to take because it's a "Waldron Class". Guess what? If you aren't going to ask the right questions to learn what you need to learn in life, I am going to direct you to take the classes that make you ask the questions.

And, as the "mean mom" I will go further, and restrict your access to things that are consuming your energy and preventing your survival mechanism from kicking in. Mine kicked in because my parents were so dysfunctional that I had to learn how to be an adult before I was supposed to. I'm starting to think that's not a bad idea. I'm not making your decisions for you. I'm not planning your life. I am making suggestions, I am reminding you of deadlines, I am asking pertinent questions that make you think about what is getting ready to happen in the next year and a half, and if I piss you off while I'm making you think about it, too fucking bad. WAKE UP!

I am starting to see why there are generational differences between generations. "Enlightened" parents raise complacent children. "Close-minded" parents raise enlightened children - go figure.

I'll stop here because I'm just  venting, but I'm not going to give up just because she acts put out that I'm asking her questions that she should know after 3 years of Japanese that I KNOW the answers to.

I'm so pissed. I'm pissed that she acts like she's in trouble becuse I'm explaining what makes a creative smart person (asking questions, and finding the answer). I'm pissed that when I aske her why she is acting like she is pissed off, she can't even answer me - she doesn't know!

ARGH! I am blessed that I haven't had to deal with the teenage rebellion thing - but no one warned me about the Teenage Passivist. (I don't even know if I spelled that right.)