My 16 year old son, Frankie, is a storm. A monster inside a storm. A manic monster in an electrical storm of hormones and teenage angst. He was such a quiet child. I’m not sure what happened, but when he turned 13, things started shifting…dramatically. He became extremely messy, leaving his room trashed constantly. He also became moody - majorly moody. And hyper. Moody and hyper is a crazy combination, just a heads-up! How did My Pop Art help me kid?

For Christmas, I ordered a Pop Art rendition of a beautiful photo I have of him. He is about 8 years old, sitting by a pond, looking off into space, little butterflies flying around his head. He looks very much at peace, calm and content. When I gave him the Pop Art rendition, he laughed. I explained to him that he used to be like this, more peaceful on the inside. I told him we would hang it up on his bedroom wall and when he woke up in the morning, he’d remember his essential self - one not as crazy and raging with hormones.

I’d like to tell you that it dramatically helped my teenager. That would be an untruth. But I think it set a seed in him somewhere. Maybe throughout the day, he’ll have a fleeting memory enter his frantic little mind. He’ll remember he can be a calm kid, even during a difficult and transitional time. At the very least, the portrait makes his messy room look a little better.