Today’s topic is a little bit out of my area of expertise. Sure, I know a lot about parenting a tween.   But perimenopause? I can’t say that I’ve had the experience. But being that my lovely wife and I had our child a little later in life, I do know someone who is an expert at parenting a tween and experiencing perimenopause simultaneously. It is with great pleasure that I present the following commentary on perimenopause and parenting a tween from the point of view of one who has been there:
I can honestly say as an older mother of a tween, and in the throes of perimenopause myself, we might just be on the same page! I have definitely taken notice of my once very compliant son starting to balk at me concerning well, almost everything , and the whole rolling of the eyes while dramatically calling me “MOOOOOOOOOOM”.Â
What is also pretty amazing to me is the volume of food that this young man can consume! If you have ever had the experience of sitting at the table with a tween during any meal, there are some things you should be aware of: 1. do not put any food items not already on the said tween’s plate, anywhere near the said tween’s plate 2. Fillers are very important to make sure that everyone other than the tween gets a meal so, always keep the drinking glass full (you should always be eating while the tween is drinking! It’s the only way to be sure that you get a full meal.) 3. Once the tween’s plate is clean, he will immediately start eyeballing whatever is left on your plate so, eat fast and be prepared for the begging and the “I am starving†cries to begin! Be strong, you need sustenance, too!
Now I could go on and on about the hormones, something I am currently struggling with and sometimes I can become quite rebellious and cranky when asked to do something. I have also been known to eat a volume of food similar to a Sasquatch (I am embarrassed to say I am not kidding!) without taking a breath, and my eyes have rolled at my tween on more than one occasion. With all that being said, I am also very blessed to have a God-loving, kind, smart, creative and generous son. He is such a joy and I can’t wait to see the wonderful man he is to become.