Some real signs that your child is almost a teen-ager.
Mom
(Turns down car stereo)
"Tell me about junior high. Do you like it?"
12-year-old son
(Turns up car stereo)
Umm....
Mom
(Turns down car stereo)
"How did the math test go?"
12-year-old son
(Turns up car stereo)
"Wasn't a test. Just multiplication and stuff."
Slouches. Sticks feet on dashboard
Mom
(Turns down car stereo)
"Put your feet down. If we had an accident, the air bag would break your legs and you would be paralyzed."
12-year-old son
(Turns up car stero)
Audible sigh and eye roll

This from the kid who always has a lot to say about everything. At least I know the warning signs of impending teen behavior, having gone through it twice before. And I am not worried too much. I know it will go away in time, say a mere five or six, or even seven years from now, when my checkbook is very important, and even sometimes, my opinion.