During the summer, I spend eight weeks as a camp counselor, and this year I had the lovely privilege of working with the 12 & 13 year old group.
Now, remember...I teach elementary school...so teenagers are a whole new ball game. Nevertheless, it was quite an experience and here's what I learned...
- Say "hashtag" before you say something important. #theywilllisten
- ILYSM means I love you so much.
- Teenagers speak a different language.
- "Do I look crusty?"
- "Stop being so ratchet!
- "You are the queen of ratchetness."
- "GURL, Chill your dill!"
- "We were just YOLOing!"
- It is in fact possible to be "Instagram famous".
- They say whatever comes to mind...no matter how strange or inappropriate at the time...
- "How do babies poop in their mom's belly? Do they come out covered in crap?"
- "MY UTERUS IS BLEEDING!"
- "If you lay on the floor and your lower back touches, you don't have a butt."
- "I really need to defecate."
- Personal space is a foreign concept to them...
- "I love sniffing you."
- "Your skin feels like play dough."
- "I've known you longer than your boyfriend."
- "I'm googling you RIGHT now."
- Teenage relationships are ridiculously complicated.
- "I'm so frustrated! I like this guy and I don't know what to do! Help me!"
- "OMG I told her I like him and now she's flirting with him!"
- "Honestly at this point in my life, I'm just looking for a hot guy with a six-pack."
- Teenage girls are ALWAYS in a glass case of emotion. First they are mad, then they are screaming, then crying and then the next thing you know, they hug you like nothing happened. It's so confusing.
- Teenagers have to do stuff when they want to...not when you want them to, otherwise you will most likely hear..."OMG you're so annoying!"
- Know the current pop culture trends...
- "You don't know what Vine/Instagram/SnapChat is? You're so old!"
- Me: Ummm...guys, what's a "thun thun"? Blonde guy: I don't know...but whatever it is...DON'T DROP IT!
Overall, we had a great summer, and I absolutely loved my crazy teenagers...but I'll be glad to get back to my little ones soon!
