BLOG #1 IT STARTS BEFORE YOU REALISE!

Here we go everyone, Blast from the past and we are at blog number 1!

I've written these blogs as memories, as a day in the life of living in our house and what it has been like for us to live with 3 teenage daughters, 3 dogs, 1 cat. (freeloaders!)

There have and always are some amazing conversations that arise in our house. Nothing, absolutely nothing surprises me anymore. I just take it all in and chalk it all up to learning and experience. We live with no regrets, just lessons learned. What a wild and exciting time it is!

So, sit down, keep all limbs inside the vehicle at all times, shut up and hold on, Teenagers are here to make you laugh with a high possibility of needing a stiff drink!

IT STARTS BEFORE YOU REALISE

You know that moment when you first bring your baby home and begin to watch them grow? There is a feeling of complete love that you could never be angry or frustrated with this person ever. Your heart swells with unconditional love, and you have completed a piece of yourself and your heart.

Every coin has a flip side, and this parenting gig is full of wonder and amazement at both the good, the bad, and the ugly. I won't lie, it has its challenges, but it's also the most rewarding experience you will ever encounter. Watching a small person grow is incredible, and something that unfortunately some people never get the privilege.

So where do I begin with my beautiful daughters? Because pre-teens, teenagers and blossoming young people are a whole new fucking ballgame!

AND IT BEGINS…

Miss R took the longest time in entering the world. It was gradual and as unforgettable still to this day. Miss R remains to do everything as slowly as possible, to take the longest time to do anything! Drives me crackers!! She is so content just to sit by and watch the world revolve. Mind you when she was younger, she was a nightmare. Miss R would continually keep me on my toes for any type of mischief she could find herself getting into, which made it exhausting. I was invariably on the lookout. I was always ready for any counteraction, make no mistake this kid was unreal. From climbing into the fish tank with a knife to catch the fish (while I went to the toilet) to pouring her wee into the fish tank from her potty, as I slowly walked towards her saying 'ta for mummy' and she just kept pouring it in there.

Miss R could hide anywhere, and climbing obstacles wasn't any harder for her. She would scale any shelves, walls, or cupboards just because she wanted to know what was up there. Of course, smashing glasses or wiping shit (literally) where it did not need to be. These are just precious moments in time that I just had to count to 10, and she would just watch me with a smile while I cleaned it up. She would run away from me in shopping centres despite my best efforts, crack the best temper tantrums where she would smash her head repeatedly on the ground. Miss R would even wait for me to be on the phone (which at that stage still had a cord attached) and would somehow figure out a way to get outside to the front lawn, drop her pants, piss on the grass and do this all while waving at cars driving past. Oh, the absolute horror!!! These events were bullshit, and I was a mess! Miss R had me at full attention 24/7.

Little did I know that this fun-loving and full of life child would be one to grow into a teenager that has the kindest and most gentle souls you would ever meet. She still giggles at the antics she did and the stress that I went through trying to keep her alive. (insert facepalm!)

Don't get me wrong, Miss R 'beats to her own drum', and there is a fire inside of her that will not be extinguished by anyone. Miss R is quiet, loyal, and hates confrontation. I wouldn't have her any other way. Her teenage years have been one of learning because as we know, none of us has any idea what we are doing with our first child. They are like an experiment if they come out of it all on the other side as a good human then we have done it and screw the handbooks and instruction manuals! It's not like we had them anyway!!

WAS IT PLANNED? BELIEVE IT OR NOT, OH YES IT WAS!

Miss C. Wow! Well, this little ray of sunshine has done everything different from the moment she entered the world. It is truly incredible to be in the presence of her. I believe that she has a wise and old soul. She is stunning and has such a natural beauty inside and out if only I could figure out how to get herself to identify and see what everyone else does.

Miss C's story of events is a little bit different than the last. As we know, every labour is different. I had decided that I didn't want to listen to anyone in the delivery room, everyone was pissing me off, and I just needed my space. I was uncomfortable, irritated, annoyed, tired, sore, and I'd decided that this shit had been going on long enough. No way in hell was going through the same shit as last time! With me telling them to piss off, and this was the way it was going to be, Miss C entered the world. Oh, so gracefully while I was on all fours! I still think to this day that somehow Miss C had something to do with that because she never likes being one of the followers.

As a tiny person, Miss C was more on the quiet side, Miss R would convince her to do all manners of stupid shit, but I saw right through that bullshit and went straight to Miss R for and explanation of events. One time Miss R had told Miss C that if she pulled on the wall of the fish tank, the fish would swim up to her, this only led to the disaster that the wall to the glass fish tank gave way and there were water and fish and shit everywhere. I'd just take another breath and clean it up, 'oops' they would say, yeah 'oops' wasn't was I was thinking! Miss C played happily by herself and was not interested in playing with others although she would sometimes play alongside them. There's one thing to say, so believe me, hell hath no fury if you touched one of her toys or you weren't playing the game to her instructions.

In later years, this led to a diagnosis of autism. No big deal here, I'm always ready for a challenge.

As Miss C grew older and developed into a teenager, it became apparent that socially girls were harder to become friends with because they are bitches. They feed off each other, and sometimes you just don't know where you stand with them, and Miss C found this very confusing. Instead, she stuck with the boys. No-fuss here and they didn't give a shit, and if there was a disagreement, it was sorted out right there on the spot. Still loyal and passionate about her friends, Miss C has a huge heart and likes to be the mediator of the group. She just wants everyone to get along and will not tolerate any bullshit, bullying, or disrespect of any kind by anyone. She will not hesitate to tell you. I do remember being called to the principal's office on various occasions because some boys were disrespectful, and she had taken it upon herself to smack first and ask questions later. We had to explain ways to Miss C that physical altercations were not a way of solving a situation. We worked closely with her so that Miss C became aware of when to walk away and how to use words instead. I do fear and pity the stupid fool that pushes her that step too far.

COMPLETE DENIAL

NOPE, nope, NO! This was not going to happen. This crap was not funny at all, and I demand another blood test!!

Well clearly, I know how it all happens, but I was not ready for this at all. FFS, I already had two kids at home, and one was only five months old!

Miss S is the most 'precious' of them all and the absolute most unexpected. She came into the world in the shortest time possible (I wasn't complaining) Miss S makes an entrance in everything that she does. Her entry into the world was short, sharp, and shiny. Noting the fact that she came out blue and not breathing was quickly rectified by my amazing doctor and midwife.

Being the smallest in the house did not mean that Miss S was not the loudest. She made damn sure that we knew where she was and what she wanted at all times. I had a growth that clung to my body every fucking day! If I dared to move more than a metre away from Miss S, she would scream.

Her loving big sisters would often get tired of this and find ways to keep her quiet. I did not find the games so exciting as they did. One required a lot of pillows to be piled up on top of her, and I would return to the room and ask where the baby was and get no answer. Then I would hear her, gurgling and screaming, while I pulled the pillows off and cuddled her (little shits). The next device they found was the beanbag, and that was my worst nightmare. I ripped it off Miss S, and I think I yelled that bloody loud that even the neighbours' next door went and sat in the corner and faced the wall.

Miss S was like a little doll, and if she ever looked like a TV character, it was Tinker Bell, she would dress as a fairy all the time. It felt like it took her so long to grow up, and she loved to dance.

When we moved to a remote township, Miss S was seven years old. The following year we signed up to the dance school. The dance grew, and the next year they each kid picked three dances each (only one the first year). Miss S had 'something', and the teacher had spotted it. Soon we were travelling back and forth to Adelaide and competing in all manner of competitions, and Miss S loved dancing on the stage. It was what most of the other children, then teenagers in the town were doing. This competition team saw them travelling interstate to compete in a National Competition. Miss S was 11 at the time. What a fantastic opportunity for these kids. Miss S had found a passion. Not a life passion, but one that would see her keeping fit, healthy, and focused.

Miss S blossomed into her teenage years with boys everywhere. If it was allowed that you could beat them away with a stick, then I may have done that. Miss S has beautiful long blonde hair, stunning blue eyes, and loves the beauty industry from makeup, nails, lashes, and tans to designer clothes. Wherever she goes, heads will turn without a doubt. She is generally oblivious to this as she's too busy talking to boys on her phone and I'm sure that she probably hasn't even met half of them. Technology is a scary world, and that's a topic I will tackle at a later date.

Miss S is the 'Insta' looking girl, and she has many followers (she always wants more). She takes a mean 'selfie'. She has a love for dancing on stage and for having her picture taken. I do fear that this teenager will be the cause of why I have no money. The result will be from the alcohol I drink to the medical doctors; I will need to keep me sane through all the crazy shit that is about to explode into my world from hers. Remember that Miss S is only 15, and we still have a long way to go.

IS THERE A FINISH LINE?

So, does all start before you realise? Your precious child comes home as a bundle of love and joy and grows into a capable human being that you have contended with, nurtured, moulded. You have seen them evolve through their changing teenage years and what a rewarding experience filled with laughter, tears, crying (mainly from me), but I wouldn't change it for the world!

Never would I have thought that I would be here telling my story so that others felt like they were in the same boat, maybe you're not, and that's fine. The challenges and successions while growing and developing these teenagers and young people, we have been along for the ride. It has opened my eyes to see how the world has changed and is forever changing. We all need to keep learning and trying to stay two steps ahead of the race, and that is easier said than done. The most important is that we care, and we care for the love of our ever-evolving teenagers.

Cheers, Odette xxx