"I've waited my whole life for this day!!"

For any of you who have ever raised a teenage boy, or perhaps were one, you will likely be able to relate with this story.  There are so many things you hear about raising teenagers, but when your children are young, it is IMPOSSIBLE to imagine that your precious angel will ever live up to the experiences your friends have had with their children. Then the day comes and you completely understand. It is like someone turned the light on and you saw the reality of what they were talking about. Oh the horror!!!

In all honesty, having teenagers in the house has been one of the most fun experiences I've had as a parent. However, if you ask my husband, he will vehemently disagree with me. Yes, my little darlings have fallen into so many of the stereotypes I had heard about, but knowing that you are not alone and your child is normal, makes it much easier to swallow. One of the things about raising boys that has astounded me, has been their ravenous appetite. I remember when my 17 year old first starting eating me out of house and home.  I was shocked that someone, who was still quite small, could put away the amount of food he did.  It never ceases to amaze me how we can all sit down to eat together and before I can even get food on my plate and pick up my fork, he has already engulfed his entire meal and is going for seconds! He once had a bunch of his football friends over to spend the night, and the next morning, they had literally raided my fridge and pantry. I was in shock - the next time they came over, I stopped by a pizza place, picked up four,  $5 pizzas and some soda. I was hoping a preemptive strike would save my supplies that were supposed to last two weeks!  While that child has slowed down a little on his consumption, my twelve year old son has just started down the same path.

I just recently noticed that it seems impossible to satisfy his never-ending hunger!  I came home the other day and asked him if he had eaten breakfast! (stupid question, I know)  He eagerly bragged that he had one large microwave sausage, then he had cooked two sausage patties, three fried eggs, toast and a yogurt!!  I was in shock!  It then dawned on me that we were headed down a similar path and that I wasn't quite sure I, or my checking account, was ready for another adolescent boy!  The crowning moment that showed me just how important food has become to this rather twiggy twelve year old, came on Saturday. My husband and I were going out to dinner, so it was just my youngest son and my two girls at home. He asked me what was for dinner and I told him his sisters were going to have some chicken strips and that he was welcome to put in a Tostinos pizza.  He looked at me sheepishly and said "can I have the WHOLE pizza? By myself?"  Now this is a question he has asked before, but I always make him share it with his sister. Since she had chosen something else, I said "Sure, just this once, you can have the whole thing."  The sheer joy that spread across his face was something to be in awe of as he exclaimed with overwhelming excitement "I've waited my whole life for this day!!!"   Really? A whole pizza?  Poor kid...who would have guessed I had been depriving him of a lifelong dream!