A Story Of Growing Pains
Most people come to northwest Utah to see the skeletons buried in the rocks at Dinosaur National Monument, but just a bone's throw away, CBS News Correspondent Steve Hartman got to observe a species of primate intense as any t-rex: The inexplicable teen-ager.
Seventeen year-old Jaylene Spendlove lives with her brother Alex, dad Brian, and mother Jodie. Her passion is the high school dance team. But still, she manages to keep up a GPA as high as her cheekbones - 4.0. She works hard and plays hard; she's now making a list of the 101 things she wants to do this summer.
"Let’s not shower for a week," she says.
Needless to say, Hartman was glad he met her when he did. But beyond the silliness and the slushy drinks, Jaylene has an important story that will no doubt resonate with parents and teens alike.
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But it was different with these two. Afterwards, they never made up. Not even to this day.
"I wasn’t prepared for the challenge to authority. That kind of really changed the atmosphere," explains Brian Spendlove.
It is not that they fight anymore; it’s just that now she does her thing and he does his. Spendlove, a successful dentist, admits he’s a somewhat less successful communicator. Especially when it comes to "I love yous."
"I’m sure she doesn’t know the degree to which I feel that way," he says. And he has not even tried to tell her.
"I don’t know how to do it," he asserts.
While Jaylene says: "There come a point where you just don’t care anymore."
Spendlove says it's that indifference that keeps him from even trying. Jaylene, on the other hand, says it’s his lack of effort that makes her indifferent. And for the longest time, their story seemed just that hopeless.
Until Hartman asked if she had thought of the day she gets married.
"Yea," Jaylene answered, "I told my mom I didn’t even want my dad to walk me down the aisle. Something might change; I don't plan on getting married for a while."
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