The Truth About Teens

Parenting teenagers always felt like something that would happen YEARS down the road. Sleep schedules and learning to share - those issues were enough for today. I could figure out how to balance freedom and boundaries later. Yet, somehow, later has arrived.

And now, we’re having those discussions about when to buy them phones, and what curfews should be - how many sports they can juggle and still maintain grades. We’re driving hours on weekends to cheer at games, and delivering hot meals for lunch practices.

And, it’s amazing. My little boys are now taller than me, but they’re still adorable. They’re not disrespectful or rude. They’re funny and caring; they’re incredible big brothers.

Our school only goes through ninth grade. Our babies go off to boarding school for most of their high school years. I know my kids are fine. We poured our hearts into them, and they are smart, kind and responsible. They are loved, and ready for this independence.

But that doesn’t mean I like it. It doesn’t mean I don’t miss them every single day, and wish they were back home.

This is our last year with Brandon - our happy-go-lucky, entertaining, sensitive, social Brandon. The kid that gives me a hug when I get back from the grocery store. The whiz with a camera who takes every photo with me in it. Our best baby-sitter, who takes his brother for hair cuts, and teaches them to play basketball.

Don’t ask me about him leaving - because I will start crying.

But for the rest of this year, we will savor our time together. I will stay up late listening to his stories, and his thoughts on life. I will try to overlook the smell of his socks, and be grateful that he now believes in showering daily! I will pray for him, and hug him, and try to etch every memory in my mind. We’ll play family games, and take vacations, and model how to make decisions and resolve conflicts.

No matter what stage of parenting you’re in now - the teenage years will be here before you know it. And your cute little babies will be cute big people - still eager for approval, still loving your time and attention.

There will be days (or months) that you wonder who replaced your child with a monster (hello 7th grade), but they’ll return. And you’ll decide to keep them after all! Just keep listening. Keep encouraging. Keep hugging.

Because the teenage years, like every other stage of childhood, pass way too quickly.