As an old person texting, I still use capital letters and punctuation. I am not sure what the cutoff age is for that, but it most definitely does NOT apply to my teenage son.

I realized the other day how funny so many of his text messages are-without the intention of humor. Not only is he a growing 15-year-old, but he is also an athlete (playing football, wrestling, and sometimes track), so a majority of his texting is food related.

Here's a sample of his communication:

• “please lots of beef jerky and dried mangos chewy not crunchy”
• “steak and rice pretty please best mom ever, i love you”
• “tell hannah she owes me some takis”
• “more ketchup please and avocado and breakfast sausage”
• “more lunch money please if possible”
• “wrestling groceries list please and thank you”

Now I have to admit, as I read these back, I feel a sense of pride in his level of politeness and gratitude! Lots of “pleases” and “thank yous!”

Then there are the texts I would classify as hygiene related. I will say that this teenage boy has the cleanest kid’s room in the house and possesses a very high level of cleanliness.

• “could you please order me some teeth whitening strips I feel like mine are starting to look yellow”
• No message attached, just an Amazon link for a metal tongue scraper.
• “please get me a nose trimmer mine just broke”
• “adding to christmas list with more of the soap i like and more spray leave in conditioner and maybe cologne”

In my defense, I do not generally make my children wait until Christmas to resupply their soap and hair products.

Last week, he sent me an Amazon link for a Nalgene water bottle, narrow mouth with an attached message: “please get me 2 of these the one i had broke and the other water bottles spill too much or smell horrible.”

Although we have a cabinet and two shelves full of all sorts of water bottles, this one actually makes sense to me, as I, personally, only use Nalgene water bottles. They have the reputation for being tough and never leaking, and if I really need water, I do not care at all if it is cold. Perhaps there are other reliable options out there, but I have never swayed. I ignored the Amazon link and made a quick trip to spend my money instead at REI to fulfill this latest request.

And then there are the random questions, requests or comments about (or informing me about) minor issues or his plans.

• “i’m going to be count von count what should i get for the costume”
• “does (little sister) have any Halloween candy left? It seems all of mine has been eaten whilst I was sick”
• “could you please print these lyrics out for me by tonight?”
• “bruh; I thought at like 6:00”
• “have you seen my wallet anywhere? nevermind i found it”
• “just fyi i cleaned egg pan and used it again that’s why its dirty still”
• “At ben’s playing poker on the patio is that okay?”

Okay, so this next one does not really fit in with my son’s otherwise stellar hygiene:

• “is throwing up in the sink OK?”

I’ll just leave that one there and skip this gross story of parenthood:

My all-time favorite from last summer—and something you don’t expect to hear from your child—would have to be the incident that warranted a phone call, rather than the usual text:

“Mom, there are mushrooms growing in my bathroom.”

I headed up to see it for myself, unsure if this was a joke or indeed a phenomenon of nature. Sure enough, in the corner to the right of the stall shower, mushrooms were indeed sprouting from the floorboard.

I don’t know about you, but I had a lot of questions. First of all, how did these mushrooms get so large before my son noticed them? I don’t think there is an answer to this one. Each of the two mushrooms were around three inches tall. His room is on the third floor, where his two older sisters used to share a large room and bathroom (for many mushroom-free years).

He has a lot of privacy up there, and no one else uses this bathroom. So there was no one else to notice that the wood molding at the base of the wall and hardwood floor underneath was starting to rot from water leaking out of the shower.

As my son and I discussed how this happened, he did say that he often opens the door while showering to change the song on his phone.

And don’t mushrooms grow via spores? Did spores somehow blow through the open bathroom window on the third floor? If so, I guess that is just another example of the surprising and incredible way of nature.

My husband and I have two out of five kids still at home. One thing we continue to learn is that when you think, as a parent, maybe you have heard or seen it all…. You definitely have not!

Kid number four (the teenage boy referred to above) is the one we call our “wild card.” He is smart, loving, sensitive and hilarious, but has been unpredictable over the years. He keeps us on our toes, excited, (and maybe sometimes a little nervous) for the next unexpected adventure!

My oldest daughter, living with us at the time of the mushroom incident, has an identification app for anything and everything on her phone. She quickly identified the mushrooms as mica cap, or Coprinellus Micaceus.

Parenthood is always a wild ride, and it is always good to stop and appreciate the humor.