For his 17th birthday my son wants…

[Anonymous]

… for me to:
- clean his room so that it looks and smells nice
- leave him to play video games or watch YouTube or do whatever he wants in there the entire day
- make a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and leave it on the counter for him to get a slice whenever he wants one.

Being a mother to this child is not what I thought being a mom would look like!

[Anonymous]

Sounds good to me! I must say it sounds like my perfect day too - someone else cleans my house, everyone leaves me alone to garden and read, and I get to eat cake when I want it. Perfect!

[Anonymous]

Sounds pretty normal. He's preparing to leave the nest.

[Anonymous]

That sounds like a perfect day for a 17 yo. I once asked my son what he wanted and he said a full sheet cake for himself. Not the typical round or quarter cake. In the end, I steered him towards a smaller cake but look back on it and think I should have just bought the cake. Your son sounds awesome and so do you!

[Anonymous]

I love this. A kid that knows what he wants and asks for something reasonably possible!

[Anonymous]

Are you disappointed? What exactly is the issue?

I have a 17 year old and this is pretty normal.

[Anonymous]

Sounds very doable. You have a pretty low-maintenance kid!

[Anonymous]

This is the cutest thing -- I love it!

[Anonymous]

Now this is what I want for Mothers day!
Sub reading/knitting/scrolling for video games.
This sounds like a perfect day. 😁

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:- make a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and leave it on the counter for him to get a slice whenever he wants one.

It's almost like your DS has been watching Rebel Without A Cause. It's been over 70 years, and this scene still sums up the late adolescent experience with absolute perfection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUftn1R0MrA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you disappointed? What exactly is the issue?

I have a 17 year old and this is pretty normal.

OP here. I don’t know that I’m disappointed. It’s just not what I want for him, I guess.
I think most kids this age have friends or a girlfriend they want to see or want to have a party, or they care about particular clothes or sporting equipment and want presents or maybe a car.

I appreciate the responses here, though! It makes me feel more normal for sure!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is the cutest thing -- I love it!

It kind of is, right? I was definitely smiling when he gave me this list!

[Anonymous]

I hate cleaning, but I might just do this if it was a birthday request. My kids also request their favorite cakes from me.

Hey, at least he knows what's important! Priorities

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you disappointed? What exactly is the issue?

I have a 17 year old and this is pretty normal.

OP here. I don’t know that I’m disappointed. It’s just not what I want for him, I guess.
I think most kids this age have friends or a girlfriend they want to see or want to have a party, or they care about particular clothes or sporting equipment and want presents or maybe a car.

I appreciate the responses here, though! It makes me feel more normal for sure!

My mid to late teen boys just get a cake at dinner on their birthdays. If they asked for something, I would get it but they don't. We gave them lots of birthday gifts as little kids. Grownups in our family don't bother with birthday gifts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:- make a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and leave it on the counter for him to get a slice whenever he wants one.

It's almost like your DS has been watching Rebel Without A Cause. It's been over 70 years, and this scene still sums up the late adolescent experience with absolute perfection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUftn1R0MrA

Ha! That’s pretty good!