The Elusive and Mysterious Teenaged Girl...

We’re so delighted to host fellow mom and author Leslie Langtry to Peanut Butter on the Keyboard today! (And for my fellow readers, I thought you might want to know that Leslie’s book ‘SCUSE ME WHILE I KILL THIS GUY (love that title <grin>)is currently free on Amazon, Apple, and Smashwords–and is $0.99 at B&N!) Welcome, Leslie! =)

I think there’s something about a 14 year old girl (in this case, my daughter, Margaret) - some kind of sixth sense they have that allows them to drive their siblings crazy with one, whispered word.  I don’t know what that word is – but I’ve seen it whispered to her brother enough to know that is all it takes.   I’d like to think that the word is ‘marshmallow’ and that that seemingly innocuous word just sets my 12 year old son, Jack, off for no apparent reason.  Unfortunately, I’m sure the word is something like ‘jerkface’ or ‘buttdart’ – a melding of two words that together make an insult that 100 years ago would’ve caused a duel, or 200 years ago would’ve led to the offended poisoning the offending’s mutton.

To me, Margaret is funny and helpful.  To my husband, she’s an angel (typical). To her brother, she’s a succubus from hell bent on his destruction.

My only real problem with my daughter – aside from the talent she has to turn her brother into a foaming-at-the-mouth, epic thrower-of tantrums, is that my stuff disappears now and then.  Weird how my curling iron/hair brush/expensive perfume vanishes from the bathroom – only to mysteriously turn up in her room (and in the case of the perfume, empty).  She took the blanket from our queen size bed for her twin sized one.  Daddy’s pillow disappeared at 10pm one night and was found supporting her sleeping head a few hours later.  My wireless computer mouse has vanished – usually when I need it most – and somehow scaled the stairs into her room.  And don’t even get me started on gum.  That kid has ‘gumdar’ and can smell Trident Layers three states away.

I guess I should consider myself lucky.  I don’t have the issues some of my friends do with their daughters.  She’s not boy-crazy, gets straight A’s, and occasionally will allow me to cast my eyes upon her in public…occasionally being the key word here.  Still, I can’ help but think that in four short years, she’ll be out the door to go to college.  And the worst thing is – she seems to be counting the days.

Sigh.

Leslie Langtry is the author of the Bombays Greatest Hits series, The Adulterer’s Unofficial Guide to Family Vacations, and several books she hasn’t finished yet.

Leslie loves puppies and cake (but she will not share her cake with puppies) and thinks praying mantis make everything better. She lives with her family and assorted animals in the Midwest, where she is currently working on her next book and trying to learn to play the ukulele.

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