TweenWolf vs SuperMom

...The Unpopular Hero

This could very well be my tombstone; especially if I’m lucky enough to have it written by my son Bubb who at 10 ½ is heading straight into the turbulent throws of tweenhood. He’s still young enough to think I’m supermom, but just old enough to put my trading card in the twofer pile of unpopular heroes. I’m a walking oxymoron.

My reaction to him is just as ambivalent as I struggle to define him. In fact, I looked up the definition of tween and found this:

Tween: A child between middle childhood and adolescence, usually between 8 and 12 years old; half boy, half teen.

The definition of “werewolf” shared about 95% of the same keywords as “tween”. Interesting.

So, is Bubb still a boy? I would like to know, because right now I don’t know whether to give him a time out or ground him; give him pajama’s or boxers; a stuffed animal or an iPod; bubble baths or showers? Perhaps I will consider the habits of this “tween creature” and draw my conclusion after exploring the following conflicting hypotheses…