You know how with some kids, you really wonder if they are ever going to pull their heads out of their backsides grow up? Especially when those kids have been blessed with a Y chromosome? And ADHD?

Well, I could be wrong, but I think there’s a switch in a certain Teenager’s head that is slowly, creakily flipping.

The Evidence:

Daily showers.

Regular shaving.

A normal haircut (though he still insists on cutting it himself, sigh.)

Fairly clean and tidy clothes that actually look good on him.

In the last couple of weeks, no pajama pants outside the house.

And this jaw-dropping moment a few days ago: “Hey mom, do we have any toothbrushes?” (I know, I know, I’m still picking my jaw up off the floor!)

AND, he appears to making some effort to get to bed at a reasonable hour.

AND the first and second days of school he was actually up early, and cleaned-up and ready to go on time.

AND he has been religiously taking out the recycling (quite a project here) as requested, in exchange for a COLA adjustment in his allowance.

You have to wonder, would this have all happened anyway? Or did this cataclysmic move, which he resisted with every fiber of his being for nearly a year, provide a unique opportunity for a fresh start?

Could this be a case of an FS move actually being a good thing for a teenager?

Time alone will tell, but the Attitude has definitely done a 180 since about six months ago. He’s always been basically a nice kid–no meanness in him, as we say where I come from–but if I could have fast-forwarded through freshman year, I would have. In a heartbeat.

He really likes his new school, and I do, too. It seems to offer private school advantages (small classes, better-behaved students) without some of the typical disadvantages (unrealistically high standards, low tolerance for learning differences.)

And he loves the independence he can have in Vienna–already going everywhere on public transportation by himself. As a city kid myself, I have always thought there was something a bit handicapping about car-dependent suburban life for teenagers. I’m very happy to send him out with a bus pass to explore.

So, there has been something in it for him. Which is as it should be.

I know better than to expect smooth sailing from here on out, but I am cautiously willing to say that the waters are finally calming.

And not a minute too soon!