How to Get a Teen's Attention

While picking up my teenager yesterday after a party, I paused to chat with another mom. We stood several yards away from the noisy group of kids who weren't ready to go home just yet. The teens had their conversation going and we had ours.

The other mom and I talked for a good ten minutes about summer plans, the weather, my recent vacation. Somewhere in there I mentioned watching the reality show, "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant."

We were laughing about the show and how anyone could not know they were pregnant. The silence from across the driveway became deafening.

We looked up to see the entire group of kids staring at me.

"No! Not me! I'm not pregnant" I burst out. "I was talking about the TV show." My own child looked the most stunned and needed an extra dose of reassurance.

Never think they are not listening. If moms can have eyes in the back of their heads, teens must have bionic hearing even after listening to all of that loud music on their Ipods.