In life, there’s a season for everything, including motherhood. Just like winter transitions to spring, moms transition from diapers and bottles to lunchboxes and little league, to learners’ permits and prom dates. There’s beauty and struggle in each season, and whether you’re looking fondly backward or eagerly forward, we’re here for all of it!
My name is Heather, I’m in the HIGH SCHOOL stage of motherhood, and I feel TOTALLY UNPREPARED for this!
I mean … I don’t want to sound ungrateful or anything! It’s lovely to be able to run errands without little ones in tow, no more never-ending diaper changes, they sleep through the night, and so on and so on.
I no longer have to run around like crazy during the holidays for the newest Barbie or Nerf gun. I don’t have to call around for playdates or look for babysitters when the hubby and I want to have a night out. There’s no longer a need to wake up in the middle of the night to make sure there isn’t a monster in the closet or under the bed.
But, that’s not to say that high schoolers don’t come with their own inventory of issues. You know, like worrying about curfew, having a social life, puberty, sports, dating, college, driving, jobs, finals, popularity, and the list just keeps going.
The teenage years are a joy and a headache at times! There will be moments when you see your big kid doing something amazing and it will make your heart swell to almost bursting out of your chest. And that moment can easily be replaced by doing something as simple as asking, “Hey kiddo, what do you want for dinner?” Cue the eye roll and release the heavy sigh followed by a dramatic “Whatever.”
The teen years are a heck of a ride. There will be times when you think, “This isn’t so hard,” and there will be times when you want to give up. There will be times when you will feel like the best parent in the world and times when you will feel like a horrible mom.
No two days are alike, and no child is exactly like any other kid. Really, the best advice I can pass on when it comes to raising our teens is just do what’s best for your teen. Listen to them, embrace them (when they actually give you the chance! I take my hugs where I can get them!), be there for them … just love them!
