Teenagers

They say: “Leave me alone.”

They say: “You don’t care.”

They say: “Whatever.” With the tone of voice and the eye roll. “What-EVer.”

But I can’t leave them alone (not for long)

and I do care (so much, so so much)

and moms are bound to fight Whatever (at least for things that count).

So this time I get it right.

I don’t say anything.

I just think about when I said such things to my parents

and how someday my grandkids will say such things to theirs

but really we know:

we all care enough

not to leave each other alone

to face Whatever.

~ Tamary Shoemaker
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(From a prompt at Poetic Asides to write a "he said or she said" poem. And just for the record, my teenagers are definitely not like this all the time!)