Five Minute Friday ~ Mess

I'm gonna let you in on a secret...

"Teenage daughters" and "mess?" 

They're secret synonyms.

Teenage sons can be stinky and sweaty and just plain gross at times. And you can be convinced that entering their rooms wearing anything less than a Hazmat suit is definitely dangerous to your health and well being, but they are, for the most part, predictable and often have things at least somewhat put away even if the grime in the bathroom is an inch thick.

Teenage daughters, on the other hand?

I've never seen anyone take a perfectly tidy and clean space and turn it into a disaster like a teenage girl rampaging through her closet trying to find something to wear - particularly if it is on one of her "fat clothes" days. I just learned that term from one of said teenage daughters this past week. I never had "fat clothes" days as a teen - I just always smelled like a swimming pool from multiple hours swimming laps every day. But I diverse...

Multiply said scenario above by 3.5 (our tween is well on her way to joining her sisters)... Actually, after subsequent thought, raising it exponentially might be more accurate... and it gives you a glimpse of what these girls' bedrooms can look like right after they flee the house to go anywhere.

And don't get me started on the bathroom with hairbrushes, towels, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants, razors, etc., etc., etc.

 According to the dictionary, a mess is:

• "an untidy state of things or of a place"
• "a thing or collection of things causing an untidy state"

Yep!

But teenage girls aren't just a mess in that sense of the word. Mess can also be defined as:

• a situation or state of affairs that is confused or full of difficulties
• a person whose life or affairs are confused or troubled

Doesn't that perfectly describe those teenage times, full of hormonal swings, striving for independence from Mom and Dad, wanting to be beautiful and liked, exhausted but always wanting to be involved in more just so they can hang out with their friends or because they are afraid to say "No" and miss out on something...???

When they all start to chatter about what's going on with their friends, at school, in the youth group, or even what just happened with their little sisters in the basement - the cacophony tumbles across my eardrums, a jumbled mess.

Oh yes, and don't forget the drama that goes right along with all the rest of this chaotic messiness. I don't know anyone else who can go from frenzied giggling to hysterical sobbing in the space of .2 seconds... dodging any physical contact or touch as you pass each other only to tackle you from behind for an impromptu hug when you least expect it. 

  

disarray

muddle 

untidiness

shambles

disorder

chaos

clutter

jumble

Yep!

Teenage daughters = mess

Most days 

- or should I say most nights because they really start to bloom after 11:00 p.m. -

(which, for the record, is a sleep destroyer when you've still got littles around)

I'm loving most moments.

I'm thankful for all of them - even if sometimes it is in hindsight.

I've also learned -

Being a mess? It's contagious!

At least I keep catching it and it drives my perfectionist side batty.

PS Thanks to Nadia and Anna for leaving such fun photos on my phone, 

giving me excellent fodder to work with on this post!

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Linking up with Lisa-Jo for Five Minute Friday. Would love for you to join us. Be sure and let me know if you do!