Enjoying My Teenagers

I enjoy having teens.  They are bright and interesting.  They are hilarious and fun.  Oh sure, there are days when I'm tempted to worry when they make goofball decisions or display a lot of uncomfortable emotions...but overall I'm loving this season of life....if teaching them to drive doesn't get me killed.

They're going through so much in this developmental stage...emotional, physical, spiritual.  So much of the parental distress I encounter among those who are hating the teen years, stems from poor discipline in the younger years.  Because the foundations of discipline and authority weren't laid down early, they are unable to fully switch into solid instruction.  This is frustrating for everyone...their teens and them.  

Please don't hear me saying this from some lofty mound... 'we've done it perfectly'...that's not what I'm saying.  If anything, I see our early mistakes quite boldly in our little mini me's faces and behaviors.  I do see areas where we've had to go back and shore up some discipline and re-assert authority.  We've all (our teens and us old folks) had to be reminded to bow before the Ultimate Authority.  God has needed to humble us and help us live in obedience to His will and ways.  A recent metaphor used with one of our children is, "the box of privilege you live in will be small until you can show us responsibility and self-discipline in these areas."  The more they respond to godly discipline, the more instruction we can bestow and knowledge they can build.  Hilariously, I agonized over that last point and decided on metaphor...lest anyone thing I literally put my teen in a box. LOL 😂 

But, there are fun days in parenting teens.  And those days are truly great.  I get glimpses of who they will be as adults...it's so very close on those days.  I'm delighted at the more frequent cross overs to friendship.  I am still firm on the 'I'm your parent, not your friend' concept...meaning 'My job isn't to be your buddy and have you be happy with me."  However, it does make my heart happy to see them coming out the other side...and choosing to be our friends. I love when my daughter comes skipping up to me and says, "Mom, do you want to hear something funny?"  Or when my son chats with me in the car about friendships and projects and lovingly rolls his eyes and hugs me after I've sent him another dorky capybara meme.

And even on those days of foolish decisions and overwhelming emotions...I am blessed to have God's Word to guide us...to focus our heart's on what pleases Him most.  God is the perfect parent.  His Word lights our way.  

Please share with me any words of encouragement you have from your own journey.