Mother: So, what did you think of President Obama’s speech to school students?
Preteen: It was okay.
Mother: Just okay?
Preteen: Well, he said most of the stuff that you always say. You know, “work hard, stay in school, listen to your teachers, don't play video games”…stuff like that. Except he waved his arms around a lot more than you do.
Mother: Hmmmm.
Preteen: It was kinda long.
Mother: Do you remember anything else?
Preteen: He said he got up at 4:30 in the morning to walk to school.
Mother: Do remember him talking about standing up for kids who are getting bullied?
Preteen: Not really.
Mother: Did you hear the part about not counting on being a rich rapper or tv star?
Preteen: What’s wrong with rappers?
Mother: Alright. Well…maybe we’ll read it later and talk about it.
Preteen: sigh Okay, if you want to.
Today, at dinner table
Father: So, were the kids at school talking about what happened to Taylor Swift?
Preteen: Yeah! I don’t get it. Someone said that the President called her a bad name!
Mother: No no no no no no no….
Father: snort!
Preteen: Well what happened?
Mother: Taylor Swift won an MTV award for best female video. And while she was on stage making her acceptance speech and thanking her fans, another singer grabbed the microphone…
Preteen: Whoa.
Mother: …and told the whole audience that Taylor Swift shouldn’t have won the award…
Preteen: Whoa!
Mother: ...and that Beyonce should have won instead.
Preteen: WHOA!
Mother: Later on, President Obama was talking to some reporters off the record - do you know what “off the record” means?
Preteen: Yes.
Mother: And anyway, when the reporter mentioned what that singer did to Taylor Swift, Obama said that he thought that she was a nice young lady…
Preteen: He DID?
Mother: and that the singer who interrupted Taylor Swift was a jackass.
Preteen: Whooooooa. That’s not a nice word. But that singer wasn’t being nice, either.
Mother: Later on, Beyonce stood up for Taylor Swift. When Beyonce won her award, she invited Taylor to come on stage to finish her acceptance speech.
Preteen: Wow. That was really cool of her to do that.
Mother: Beyonce stood up for Taylor Swift when she was being bullied.
Preteen: Yeah! That’s right!
Mother: Yup!
Preteen: Beyonce is cool. So is President Obama. Even though he used a bad word.
Mother: Well, he was angry that someone who worked hard and was being congratulated for it had her moment stolen by a nincompoop.
Preteen: Yeah, she did work hard, didn't she!
Mother: Yes, she did.
Preteen: Hey, who was the stupid singer who took Taylor Swift’s microphone, the one President Obama called the bad name.
Mother: Kanye West.
Preteen: I don't know who that is.
Father: He’s a rapper.
Image from The Onion
17 comments:
Great parenting there!
Oh, welcome back. I think I speak for millions when I say I missed your posts!!
Fantastic! Love when it comes full circle. And the Teen Beat.... awesome.
LOL! I wish I was that smooth.... Great job! ;) Both as a mommy and as a blogger.
Oh those preteens! Love the conversation.
Glad you found your way back to the blog.
Gotta love those moments.
I still don't know any song of Kayne's except for the one I heard them perform on Glee.
aaah, see, when you put it in terms of video award shows, it alll makes so much sense!
Beautiful, that was smoother than Sade. -KK
LOL... Sometimes it takes a minute to sink it!
Soooo...did her school choose to use the accompanying awards show curriculum?
I've read a few of your posts and you are absolutely hilarious..It was so funny!! Thanks for this great moment!!
Please tell me those exchanges actually happened. Because they are awesome.
Priceless!!!
I love it when a story come full circle!!
No lecture can teach these lessons as well as real life can. Congrats on recognizing that a current story that they can relate to had such a lesson to teach.
I think during adolescence children are beginning to form their identity and are testing and developing the interpersonal and occupational roles that they will assume as adults.
Wonderful. Many training courses for their own use of methodical work. It is a pity that there is a gap between the most advanced technology for about 2 years compared with English-speaking Internet, but this is a common problem.
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