So, I have a teenager, right?

I don’t talk about him that often here but today I feel the need to vent.

It’s not that he’s a bad kid, a bad person.  He’s not. He’s good.  I’m incredibly lucky and cannot figure out what I did right to get such a good kid.

But there is this thing he does, this typical teen behavior thing that makes me insane.

He makes excuses.  He makes excuses EVERY FUCKING DAY for something he didn’t do, forgot to do, couldn’t do.  He makes excuses EVERY FUCKING DAY for why he needs to be an hour late or why he was playing video games instead of folding his laundry.

The excuses are usually good ones.  They make sense.  Taken alone, in a single instance, they’re even believable.  But when they pile up? Every day?  A new reason for…  whatever.  Every day.

“Oh, I didn’t think I had to follow that rule because…”

“Well, I was late because someone stopped me to talk in the hall and it was really important”

“I didn’t intend for that assignment to be late but I was in the nurse’s office during that hour and didn’t know how to do it.”

“I felt fine yesterday when I was out playing and don’t know why it’s always during school time that I feel sick.”

“I know I’m supposed to take the bus home but my teacher needed to talk to me after school so now I need a ride.”

“I can’t fold the clothes until they’re cooled off so I figured it was okay to post the picture of my video game score on Facebook while I waited.”

“I didn’t hear you say that or I would have done it.”

“I couldn’t feed the cat cuz I had to let the dogs out, they were whining, and then I forgot.”

“I WAS home on time, I was just out front, not really late.”

Blah blah blah.

Seriously?  Seriously???

I love ya, kid, but shut the fuck up and do what you’re supposed to do, when you’re supposed to do it.  The occasional excuse or reason why you didn’t do something, couldn’t do something, were late, whatever, is okay.  But every day?  You’re behaving irresponsibly and there is no excuse that is going to ring true after hearing them daily.

Ok.  Vent finished.  My head is pounding, I’ve had a bad day and the last thing I wanted to do was vent to That Teen.

Instead, I shall calmly explain to him that I do not want him to turn into the sort of adult who does this shit because it’s even more ridiculous and unbelievable when it comes from adults.  That in order to grow up to be a responsible, hard working adult he needs to make a change right now.  That people don’t like other people when they behave this way, that people feel they can’t count on your or believe you and that is not how I want my son to be perceived.

In the real world, you can have a good reason – or even a flimsy excuse – once in awhile.  But if you do it every day, eventually people roll their eyes and think you’re full of shit and lazy.