Breaking the Teen Myth

As parents, we've all heard it.....the dreaded "teenager years".......as if at the stroke of midnight when our children pass over from the year of twelve into the year of thirteen and onward - they suddenly begin growing fangs, wooly hair all over their bodies, drool and foam begins to ooze from their mouths.......and.....and....

Wait. I was a teenager once. And, yes, I was grumpy, moody and more often than not - unreasonable. But I was still a human being. However, I was in public school with all the worldly distractions that coincide with that environment. Today's teens that are out in the traditional school setting are bombarded with a tug of war of social conflicts and technological distractions beyond our ability to comprehend. Is it any wonder the teenager stigma is so bad in the eyes of parents today?

We are in the deepest heart of teenage years with our sons now 16 and 15. And while I will admit that the year of "14" was not my favorite teen year for either (the year I call no man's land) - they are both still our sons that I gasped with awe over at their birth. They are growing into young men before our eyes and I wouldn't miss a minute of it still. I love them more than I can express in words - moody moments and all.

What I see as the greatest difference for our family during these teen years is that they are at HOME in our family environment. We talk, we live, we experience life as a family.

I'm not the loveliest of people on occasion - and I have a house full of men to attest to my less than attractive moments. So how in the world can I expect two growing young guys to always have perfect attitudes and never be moody when the grown-up's in the world are running around with grumpiness and less than attractive behaviors?

My point? Don't buy into the automatic assumption that when arriving at the threshold of your child's teenage years, that they will suddenly turn into some pre-described character from a horror film. They are just entering a new season and more than ever need your patience, understanding, guidance and unconditional love. Look forward to this season of growth and enjoy their high school years at home.

I love all of our conversations and the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with each of our sons. They are pretty cool guys.