Simon Says:

Simon often tries to answer all my questions in just one syllable. He has his own "teen" language of grunts (he's 14 1/2). Here is what I've discerned as it's meaning, so far:

• hu ahh (with a pitch upswing at the end) = yea, I'll give you a slightly affirmative sound, but I'll conveniently "forget" to do what you're asking and hope you do the same - commonly used when we tell him to do things like wash his face, brush his teeth, clean his room
  
• meh = it was ok but I wish you'd let me zone out and watch tv, this is closely related to the more verbose "yea, yea, whatever", which some kids use
  
• schna = not bad, thanks for asking, but please don't ask me to do anything right now
• uh (gutteral grunt, really) = seriously, you're trying to engage me in conversation? Maybe if I just grunt you'll go away?
• general groan = please, please, please leave me alone and don't discuss this sensitive/annoying/difficult topic/chore/problem with me . . . ever
• lyrical grown with hand over face, mostly covering his eyes = omg, my parents are so weird
  

Sometimes, however, he engages in rational discussion. This morning, while we were starting to watch Over the Hedge (again), he said that one of his friends doesn't like Pixar and other of these great animated movies much because they have a really sad part in them. Si said "but that is what makes them so good! They have that sad part, but then they resolve it and that's what makes them good. That way they don't have to resort to an entire movie of sophomoric humor."

It's cool, when you get a glimpse of the adult your child is becoming.