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Trials of Parenting

I think the most exasperating job is that of parent.  When they are little it takes one kind of energy.  When they are teens it is a completely different kind of energy.  And savvy.  Those teens can be tricky as they push the boundaries.   That is what makes high school such crazy years.  Didn’t we all do that too?   But when we become parents we take some mindless drug or hormone that secretes in our systems and wipes away our memory of the boundaries that we pushed.  Or maybe because we remember is exactly why we are so hard on them.  And we should be. It is how they learn.

Do I sound like an exasperated parent?  I am.  And my kid is still one of the good ones.

So today we say a prayer of thanksgiving for all the parents who are trying hard to steer their teens in right directions.  We say a prayer of support for all the parents who make boundaries and mete out discipline even when it hurts inside to do so.   We offer a word of encouragement to parents to take a deep breath even when your kid takes one step forward and two steps back. And for kids to take a deep breath too with the parents that you are also upset with!

Seems like a time to walk humbly together.

Here is a link to ten tips for parenting teens.  It is just a beginning–there is so much more.