Ugh Teenagers!!

    For me, I have always looked at parents that have successfully raised their children to love the Lord for guidance and ideas. If someone was trying to give me advice and their children were trying to build their testimony, I really didn't pay much attention. I made a comment to a godly woman that had raised 3 lovely godly daughters. I said how I was dreading my 2 young elementary aged` children becoming teenagers. She looked at me and replied that I should cherish these times and embrace those years in my children's lives. She preceded to tell me that this is when their lives are formed the most for adulthood and this is when they grow in the Lord and need our guidance the most.


     I am so thankful to that godly woman for those words because they changed my life!! From then on I was a better mommy and decided to embrace all those hormones that will be rampant in my home. I decide to embrace the teenage years! I will admit, the concept was very foreign to me and it made more aware of my attitudes to my children. I also knew I ned to listen to my children and not judge them for their choices.

    Teenagers need to be balanced and the fights need to be of your picking not your child's. My daughter and I have had under 8 arguments and whenever we have started we both back down and retreat for a while to think things through before we converse again. We return with cool heads and are able to talk and listen to each other. 


     Those words, embrace your children's teenage years , was probably the best advice I ever listened to! I think the reality of raising teens was I was scared they would pull away from me and not like me anymore. Those fears vanished when I chose to embrace the teenager years and listen to my kiddos. When we listen to our kiddos and not just tell them what to do, they feel they have value. When you listen to them, you have a wonderful opportunity to help them get to the correct outcome of most problems that come up.


     I encourage you today to embrace the teenage years and respect your children so they don't shut you out!!