In my life as a grown up I’ve survived raising six teenagers. I’m now on #7 and #8 is coming up in 2 years. My 12 year old turned 13 yesterday, and my 10 year old is entering his second decade on this earth tomorrow. All this birthday-ness has me thinking about them and their transition from the fun-loving, big-eyed, wonder-filled boys who think I’m amazing and love me unconditionally, into… teenagers.
I haven’t always loved teenagers, but as I’ve aged and been around them I’ve learned to love the very things that used to make me cringe. Life is all a matter of perspective, right?
Not all teens are the same, I get that. My boss will tell you his daughter’s been a teenager for three years… she’s 10. Kids are all different, but I wanted to share some of my reasons – general reasons, and shortened my list to my favorite five things:
1. They make me smarter. From fashion to technology, teenagers have their fingers on the pulse of “today.” They’ve also developed some critical thinking and reasoning and, although they’re often wrong and their reasoning isn’t based in logic, I have to up my parenting game from “No.” to “No, because…” I want to parent them thoughtfully and lovingly, and that becomes more of a challenge when they think for themselves and debate my every decision.
2. Hygiene. Once a child reaches their teens the daily reminder to shower no longer is necessary. Instead, I now have the joy of banging on the bathroom door and telling him to get out of the shower. Before he was a sweaty little boy, now I have a heavily marinated teen who needs to learn the lesson of “sometimes less is more.”
3. Passion. Anyone who’s ever raised, or been around a teen, knows exactly how passionate they are about EVERYTHING. There is no such thing as a molehill. Every problem is a mountain, and everything is a big deal. I don’t care if you’re talking about shoe color or why they won’t wear that shirt you bought for them that they had to have. I love it because, as adults, we’ve learned to moderate our feelings. Teens feel everything in technicolor.
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5. Instant knowledge. Gone are the days when I had to wonder “is that superhero Marvel or DC Comics?” I no longer agonize over any video game question and can talk “Pokemon” with the best of them. My teen knows everything from kid stuff to “does this white wine reduction look like it’s reduced enough?” Teenagers are a great source of knowledge. They literally know everything – just ask them.
***JUST SO YOU KNOW***
Superman (DC) Hulk (Marvel)
Batman (DC) Captain America (Marvel)
Wonder Woman (DC) Spiderman (Marvel)
I love their intelligence, their desire to improve, their willingness to change (but only if it’s their idea), and I especially love that, someday, they will grow out of it. I feel like I’m getting a sneak peek at what kind of young men my boys are growing into, and I try to adjust my parenting accordingly to nudge them in the direction I want them to go.
So this week, my reader, I encourage you to get out there and embrace your teen. Love them for the smelly, moody, emotional messes they are. I still have pictures Aidan drew me back when he loved me shamelessly and openly. I have them hanging in my office to remind me no matter how surly he gets, he really does love me. This whole “teenager” thing is a new experience for him, and we’ll make it through together.
A picture Aidan drew when I was the “Worlds Assemeis Mom.”
My thoughts are my own, but my pictures are generally found on Pinterest (you can find anything there!). If you like what I write, please share with your friends or someone you think would like it! I’d love it if you follow me on Facebook (Melissa Gale), Instagram (write2unpack), or Twitter (@write2unpack). If you have any topics you’d like to talk about, reach out to me at write2unpack@gmail.com. Oh, hey, and if you sign up to follow me you’ll never miss a post!