We’ve all heard someone say this at some time or another, “S/he’s [insert young age here] going on 13.” But it wasn’t until recently, through what I have experienced with my three-year-old, Braden, that I could really appreciate the truth in this statement.

Therefore, I thought it would be fun to share a quick list of things Braden has been doing that is preparing me for the teenage years:

Mood swings

Okay, so I suppose this goes with whatever age you are (after all, he comes by this honestly with me as his mother), but lately… my goodness! A complete angel and happy one minute, and seemingly possessed the next.

Sleeping in

After a long stretch of getting up at 6:00 or earlier, Braden has begun to sleep in. These days, he’ll sleep to 7:30 or *gasp* 8:30!

And my personal favorite – he thinks his parents are idiots

I can’t tell you how many times over the past few weeks I have tried to explain something to my sons, only to hear Braden respond with, “No mommy, you’re wrong.” And he recently got frustrated with my husband (the Princeton student going for his PhD in electrical and computer engineering), because he wasn’t doing something “right” on the computer. My husband left the situation and said to me, “Obviously, he doesn’t know what I do for a living.”

I’m sure many of you have some to add – would love to hear them!

Kristen Keller lives in New Jersey with her two young boys, husband and two dogs. In an effort to obtain the perfect work-life balance, Kristen works part-time out of her home office as an independent public relations consultant and spends the rest of her time striving to give her children the same wonderful childhood experience she had. Click here to check out Kristen’s other posts on This Mommy Gig.