One of the unique things about teenagers is their ability to find things irritating, annoying or just plain stupid. I'm not sure how they do this or how they determine what is stupid or not but I did realize that 90% of the time, everything is stupid.
The following conversation actually occurred:
Mom: Did you finish your homework yet?
Daughter: No, uh, I'm still working on it.
Mom: You've been working on it for 3 hours you should be done by now. If you weren't losing focus and "potting around", you would have been done by now.
Daughter: That is sooo stupid. Potting around. What does that even mean? That doesn't even make sense. What, am I going to "pan around" next?
Daughter: No, uh, I'm still working on it.
Mom: You've been working on it for 3 hours you should be done by now. If you weren't losing focus and "potting around", you would have been done by now.
Daughter: That is sooo stupid. Potting around. What does that even mean? That doesn't even make sense. What, am I going to "pan around" next?
And the conversation circled around for another hour or so on the "stupidness" of that phrase. Apparently she had pent up emotions concerning it and continued to make her argument as to why that phrase should not exist. Being the good, caring parent that I am, I continued to use the phrase until she got back to her homework.
After doing a little research, I realized that I had made a mistake, or so I thought. While growing up, my parents frequently used the term "potting around" and hence I had to use it with my children. However, upon further investigation the term is actually "pottering around". It's actually a British term but according to WordNet, North Americans use the phrase "puttering around". After confirming with several other adults, they too were brought up hearing the term "potting around" not "puttering around". I'm not sure who uses "puttering around" but I'll have my daughter speak to them as soon as possible regarding the use or non use of the phrase.
POTTERING AROUND
Definition: to move around aimlessly
Class: contact verb (touching, hitting, tying, digging, etc.)
Usage: Britain
Past tense: pottered around
Present participle: pottering around
3rd-person singular present: potters around
Other useful info
Original source: WordNet and http://www.memidex.com/pottering-around
Synonyms: potter [Britain] | putter [North America] | putter around [North America]
Etymology: [noun] late Old English pottere, ... | [verb] "to poke again and again", ...
But Seriously
I'll admit it, the "everything is stupid" comment gets on my nerves. Sometimes my teen will say it so often I feel like that's all she says. It is frustrating but I realize that it is part of her moving through adolescence. According to Anthony E. Wolf, Ph.D., teenage girls argue to help establish distance from their parents. Even though they are creating conflict and arguments, they are actually continuing to maintain a relationship with their parents. Teen girls need to feel independent yet rely on contact with their parents, albeit negative comments and arguments. Boys tend to isolate themselves and disappear rather than fight or talk about feelings.
So if you have a teen in your house who is thinking that everything is dumb or stupid, you aren't alone. Keep in mind this is only a phase. Let them vent and roll with it as much as you can. Laughter really is a great way to diffuse situations that are getting heated. Sometimes, I even find that agreeing with them isn't so bad either. I'm going to side with my daughter that the phrase "potting around" doesn't really make much sense. I may even go as far as to say, "It's so stupid".
Reference: Wolf Ph.D., A. (2002) Get out of my life, but first could you drive me and Cheryl to the mall? New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
