Testosterone Tantrums

I look back at those early years and realise that the terrible twos were nothing compared to testosterone filled teenage boys. The moods and the 'I know it all attitude', are an essential part of teenage development, or so I am led to believe. Our elder son rises and greets each day with the obligatory grunt. Apparently, when children become teenagers they no longer need to communicate in English. For parents, the 'little book of grunt' would provide translation for the 'good morning' grunt from the 'don't look at me' grunt. On top of this, comes the 'feed me', 'why should I shower' and 'get off my case' grunts. No wonder, raising teenagers sees many parents seeking solitude as they try to live with and interpret teenage attitude. Teenage development involves regression back to two years of age as their vocabulary becomes limited to one syllable words. We can only hope that their vocabulary increases as quickly as the testosterone does in their bodies.

I have also noticed a definite increase in the interaction between the boys. Our household regularly reverberates with the 'that's hurting' cry from the younger son as the elder obviously has adopted one of the many World Wrestling Federation moves. It is not uncommon for the elder to deal with the younger by embracing him in a loving neck hold and dragging him off to the end of the house. I honestly think at times, that their rooms should reflect padded cells to minimise risk of damage and block the screams.

This growing interest in each other is not limited to inside the house either. It is common occurrence to walk outside to find two teenagers wrestling in the backyard. There is nothing like a little brotherly biff to clear the air. I am sure we are not the only family that takes on the role of spectators in a world of testosterone tantrums. We had hoped that the punching bag in the shed would be used for stress release. Unfortunately, the punching bag doesn't have the same appeal that hearing your sibling beg for mercy appears to have. At this rate we could invite the neighbours, charge admission and create a new sporting event.

The up side to this is that they are spending time together, even if it is while one son pins the other to the ground in an effort to expand his tastebuds. Communication between them has gone from grunting to recognisable words such as ‘stop’ and ‘get off’. This leads to hope that by the end of the year they will be back to putting full sentences together. As we move through these interesting, formative teenage years, it is all about togetherness.