Posted in response to Writing 101 Day 2, Write a list…

10 Reasons I don’t particularly like living with teenagers:

1. It seems someone is always sleeping in my house.
2. The laundry piles up and gets out of hand. If we do one load a day, we can stay on top of it.
3. The grocery bills are steep. And growing.
4. With people comes We need to get control of the stuff.
5. Someone’s plans always conflict with someone else’s and it’s my job to juggle the calendar.
6. Just when I think I know what my teens like to eat, their tastes change.
7. There are always shoes by the door.
8. Things can get loud. So far, the neighbors have not called the police, but it’s coming. I know it’s coming.
9. They make me feel old.
10. Knowing they’ll soon be off to college, careers, families, even though that means I have done my job.

10 Reasons I love living with teenagers:

1. There is always someone in the house to give a fresh perspective. If I am stuck or stymied, someone will help me out of my conundrum.
2. Teenagers can actually reason with me—sometimes better than I would like—unlike when they were younger.
3. The house is full of life and activity.
4. We have a lot of great books around our house—kid books, young adult books, grown up books. If you need something to read, you can always find something!
5. There is always someone to help me with my technological devices, talk me through the glitches, hook up my new printer, or figure out why the DVR is not recording the show I watch.
6. I can bake cookies without having to eat them all myself.
7. There is always a pair of shoes by the door that I can slip into if I need to run out to the car late at night (or first thing in the morning).
8. They keep my young.
9. The laughter.
10. The love.