That Time I Rebelled (or Hellion in Rebellion)

Oh, to hear about Grant, our angry little red head. He is a self described volcano.  He is pushing every one of Lisa’s buttons while I am away. I know he is scared, mad, and confused about me being away for so long that his acting out is a response. He is deeply sweet and caring but has a tough showing it and chooses easier, angrier responses. It doesn’t make it any easier on Lisa. Grant is the one who is going to try us until the day he is out the door – and maybe even beyond that.    

17, Without a Clue

I wasn’t that much of a wild kid. Yes, there are stories of crazy things but I never did anything (too) illegal or dangerous, and certainly not with malice to hurt someone else. If I needed something I asked my parents and the generally supported it. I really never pushed back hard on them. My brother Andy did.  I generally stayed within the lines of accepted behavior at home and in public.

When I was 17 years old and approaching 18, I had to do what every 18 year old male in the US has to do, register for the draft. It’s a rite of passage and the law.  Because I was a teenager, and therefore smarter than my parents and just about every other adult, I took umbrage that the government could make me sign up to serve in the military without my consent.  Therefore, I announced to my parents – my dad in particular, my dad who was drafted into the tail end of the Korean War, to him I announced that I did not want anything to do with the military and was not going to sign up for the draft.

Pause.  Let the irony of that exchange sink in. 

As I remember it, dad said, with little emotion but very matter of fact, “well, you won’t be living here anymore.”

Our Hellion

My rebellion last as long as it took to realize I did not know what I was doing or talking about. Of course, I registered at the Monroe Post Office even though I knew military service wasn’t for me.

With two boys, I think a lot about them as teen agers and young men. I remember what I was like and I remember what Andy was like. I know there are arguments, fights, and explosions of emotion in the future.  It is part of adolescence and I accept that. I see the rebel in Grant. He is the one who is going to need a different approach than his big brother.  He is the one who will test me and Lisa the most. 

I can't wait to get home.  To him most of all.  First to hug him and love on him. 

Then to kick his little ass.