I have teenagers.  It is not like I didn't know they existed, or they suddenly appeared one day.  I have been raising them their whole life.  I just didn't realize how quickly they became teenagers.

I have three boys, 13, 11, and 9.  At this point in time I am considering the 11 year old a teenager because that is who he hangs out with all the time.  The 9 year old is trying to hang with the big boys; however, I can still count on him to do those sweet silly things.

Yesterday, Kayden comes in as his usual self trying to surprise me when he walks in the door.  It is his favorite thing to do after school.  He tries to sneak in the door and scare me.  But yesterday I was not in the living room on the computer like I usually am.  So I got to see him jump when I came out of the bedroom and scared him.

But I did still get surprised yesterday.  When Caleb, the middle child, walks in the door he says casually, "They followed us home."  It was like he was talking about a stray dog.  Then it started, teenager after teenager comes through the door.  Pretty soon there are five of them, seven if you include my two.  Kayden looks as surprised as I am.

They all do the "Hi Mom" thing and proceed to turn on the TV and the computer and the place gets loud.  So I leave for parent-teacher conference.  When I get home, there is a knock on the door and low and behold they have multiplied.  There are now 9 teenagers in my home and my three kids.  I feel like a mob has descended on my home, and I flee to the sanctuary of my bedroom.  Yet the noise is still there.  I hear them laughing and talking about their day.

So I do the mom thing, and walk in and out of the room at variable times to ensure that there is no alternative activities being engaged in.  The truth is I LOVE IT.  I love being the house that they go to.  Now I am sure everyone is saying you are CRAZY.  But there is logic behind my maddening ways.  I now know who the "friends" are and what they are doing.  I don't have to worry about them hanging out in seedy houses or drinking, which is really big in my small town.  I would rather have them here eating me out of house and home and making me lose my hearing from their noise level.

I would rather have them surfing the net at my house, so that I can monitor the websites and their emails.  I can listen to their conversation and know who is doing what with whom, and then talk to my kids about it when the others are not around.  This has been a major catalyst for sex, drugs, and drinking talks.

So yes, I  may go insane or start growing gray hairs at an extremely young age.  But my children are worth it. Hopefully I am not just having an affect on them.  I hope that I am modeling or encouraging positive behavior and non-destructive decisions within their group.  Guess I am going to the store to stock up, the ride has just begun!