I never talk too much about my children here, especially my older children. The main reason is because I'm not sure how I feel about it. I know that sounds pretty silly considering I have a blog but it's very easy to just show pictures and write about other things. I've read comments all over the internet asking why parents with older kids don't write or photograph them much and I thought I'd share why I don't. First off, they aren't overly interested in having their picture taken. Occasionally (like the picture above), they will be themselves in front of the camera but usually they aren't open to it. Another reason is, I know at 13 and 15 I would not have wanted my mom talking about me on the internet so I've always assumed they feel the same way.
The other night I asked Max and Alex if they'd be open to doing an interview on my blog and they said yes. Max thought I should ask my readers if they had any questions. Not necessarily questions about them in particular (those are fine too though) but questions about teens in general. So, if you've ever wondered about them or the youth of today and have a question, please ask!
I look forward to hearing from you all!
♥ anne
I dread hearing "it was fine" every single day from my kids when they are older and I ask about their school day. What should I ask to actually hear about their day and not annoy them?
ReplyDeleteI never witnessed much bullying when I was younger, has it really gotten that bad?! It's one of my biggest fears when I think about my kids growing up.
I can't wait to hear what y'all have to say! Great idea!
Oh Anne, this is such a neat idea. I'm so happy you're doing it and that they've agreed. Here's some questions:
ReplyDelete-If you could spend the day doing anything you'd like, what would you do?
-What do you think of the music your parents listen to? (I always wonder if kids just think everything their parents are into is un-cool or if they actually realize their parents have some killer taste...)
-What age do you consider "old"? (ha. I remember when I thought 40 was old. Now I think 70 is old-er and 85 is old).
-What do you want to do when you grow up? What are your hopes and dreams?
-If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go?
-Have you seen your friends do things that you didn't agree with?
Hmmm... I'll keep thinking. Love, love, love, this pic of Max. Such a great shot, Anne.
Oooh I love this, both your approach to blogging in general, the respect you've afforded your older children, and now this new idea and their acceptance! I like all the above questions and I'm super intrigued to see what they say. Hmmm, as a mother of very young children I have so many questions about what it's like to be a teen in today's world (and I know that things might be even more intensely busy/technological/fast paced by the time my kids are teens.) It kind of scares me because it is so different from the way I grew up. All the media is different, the cartoons look different and sound different, there is access to so much more information which could be good and bad, etc.
ReplyDelete1. What's your favorite movie and what aspects make a movie good in your opinion?
2. Do you like to read?
3. How important to you is your access to technology? Would you go crazy without being online fairly frequently? I guess this applies to you too Anne...at what age do your children get full access to the internet? Do they have personal gadgets like ipods or iphones that keep them "connected" all the time? Is the online world / social media so ever-present that now it almost gets a little old, overwhelming, boring? Or is it something that feels refreshing and positive to you most of the time? (I am really just curious if the way a teen, who was basically born into constant technological communication, experiences technology and online media is much different from the way a nostalgic adult who didn't start using the internet until after high school experiences it...)
4. What's your favorite band or musician? How do you find out about new music you like?
5. If you could receive one gift (like a material thing, not a philosophical thing like world peace...) what would it be?
6. How important to you are world affairs, news, politics, current events?
I think that's enough! I could think up innumerable questions as I sit here. Hello Max and Alex! Thanks for being willing to share a little..you don't have to answer all these, just any that you feel like answering!
Hey Anne, what a cool idea! I have some questions, I really like Heather's number 3 - re: technology.
ReplyDeletehow do I best support my kids as they start to become more fiercely independent (and might hate me a bit), yet still need me? From a teenagers perspective? And YOUR perspective Anne? Sorry guys, my questions are always heavy.
This is so sweet! Having never gotten to meet them, I've always been a little curious of your older kids, although I really respect you keeping them out of this blog on purpose. like you said, last thing any teenager would probably want is to be a central feature of their parent's online life ;D I really love all the questions that Heather and Ashley posted, especially re:technology. So, Hi guys! Excited to read your thoughts! I want to echo Heather and say that you should totally only answer the questions you feel completely comfortable with. Thanks for giving us a peek into the SoCal teenage life.
ReplyDelete-Do you like spending time by yourself, or with others better, and why do you think that is?
- Do you cook for yourselves (and others) and if so, what kinds of foods do you like to make?
- Do you have a summer or a part-time job? If not, are hoping/ planning to get one and what would you like it to be?
-How do you think your things are different from when your mom and dad were your age?
-What is your favorite thing that your family does together?
-What is your favorite thing to do with friends?
-Do you spend a lot of time hanging out, or do you prefer to be doing something all the time?
-What do you think is the best way (for an adult) to encourage someone your age to pursue a hobby, or a passion, or skill they have?
Excited to see what you guys think of all these questions. Should that be a question?
ooops, I came back to post another question that occurred to me, but rereading these I notice that I should clarify that my 4th question has an extra your that shouldn't be there ;)
Deleteanyway, I was gonna ask -what you guyses hobbies are and how did you choose them/ end up doing them?
This is a really great idea! I'm always wondering how I'm going to fare as a mama to teens. My boys are only 7 and 4, but already quite opinionated individuals and thinking ahead to their teenage years make me giddy with excitement and scared at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'd ask what do you most like to do when spending time with your family/parents?
What's your favorite thing about your parents?
And as above, I'm also interested in what you think of technology and how big a role it plays in your day to day lives?
I love this idea! And I agree, when my boys are older, I want to respect their feelings about being on the blog, but right now they love it and ask me to post more!
ReplyDeleteI don't have any questions to add because all of the above are amazing. Can't wait to read the interviews.
haha, true. my teen is so private! but he loves talking about music, guitars, gear and all the stuff he's into... xo m
ReplyDeleteVery cool idea and some great questions. I look forward to hearing their responses. My boys are still quite young and I feel very, very out of touch with today's teenagers, so this should be very informative.
ReplyDeleteloving your blog and pics are wonderful!
ReplyDelete