Teenagers rebel against their parents. That’s pretty standard. It’s a rite of passage, really. It’s how we learn to differentiate ourselves from our parents. Forget child birth; the teenage years are when we work to sever that invisible emotional umbilical cord so we can make it on our own.
My teenage rebellion was a challenge. See, my mom was a hippie. She ran away from home, did drugs, dropped out of high schoool, married at 18, became a teenage mother, was divorced by the age of 20…the whole nine yards. She was the quintessential troubled teenager. By the time I hit my high school years, she had cleaned up her act (for the most part) and was even working at a juvenile detention facility, helping other teens who were troubled like herself. She had done it all and seen it all.
How do you rebel against that?!?
I mean seriously, there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t be able to handle. Drugs? Been there, done that. Criminal record? Child’s play. Promiscuity? Not really an issue because I was not the girl guys dated. I was the buddy. I couldn’t be a slut if I tried.
So how did I rebel against my mother?
By joining the Young Republicans.
And guess what? It worked! Totally unhinged her. All I had to do was say, “MOM! I need a ride to the Young Republicans meeting!” and she would set off on a tirade of epic proportions. Threats to ground me. Making me walk if I was going to “that damn meeting!” Questioning my values and why on earth I felt aligned with that. It was FANTASTIC! Then I started dressing more conservatively, wearing oxfords and sweaters and skirts. And saddle shoes. Saddle shoes! She hated them. Made me save my allowance to buy my own pair because she wasn’t going to buy them for me. Had I wanted hooker heels, no problem. But no daughter of hers was going to wear saddle shoes!
I saved my allowance and babysitting money for months to be able to afford these.
I also rebelled by listening to soft rock, although that wasn’t a rebellion so much as a genuine preference. It was another way mom and I were miles apart. She was really into the heavy metal hairbands. She loved Bon Jovi, Poison, the Scorpions, and the amalgamation of hair metal that Grandma and I ceremoniously dubbed GreatWhiteLionSnake.
One of mom’s favorites.
My favorite band? Air Supply.
*swoon*
Mwah ha ha ha haaaa! Take that, mother!
After about a year, I came to my senses and realized that the Republican Party’s platform really didn’t jibe with my world view. Now I try not to delve into politics too much in this blog because it can get real ugly, real fast. But I think it’s no secret that I am a pretty liberal person. And being a Republican was fun for a while, if only to piss off my mom.
And meet Gopher from The Love Boat.
Yup. This guy was my Congressman.
Fred Grandy was my Congressman for a while, so I got to meet him when I was doing some leafleting. But mainly the benefit was driving my mom batty. Meeting Gopher was just an added bonus.
As long as it pissed your mom off to the point she was grinding her teeth into dust, that’s rebelling
And that it did, my friend. That it did. I think she almost considered sending me to the nearby Catholic school, but then realized that would probably just make it worse.
I feel so uncool – I have no idea who Gopher is. Though those saddle shoes look adorable!
That might be an age issue. Unless you grew up in the 70s, the whole “Love Boat” fascination may be lost on you. I’ll give you a pass since you’re young. But at the time, Gopher was pretty hot!
This made me laugh out loud. Bonus points for ingenuity! Your mom must have been at a loss!
It was awesome. Out of all the things I ever did, that was the one that absolutely drove her batshit crazy.
Way to persevere and find the buttons to push! Awwww, Gopher! Those shoes are fabulous!
I know, right? I wish I still had them. I loved those shoes.
Wowza! That is an impressive commitment
Indeed it was. Thanks for stopping by!