I've entered a stage of life I thought I would be better prepared for. My darling chubby-faced munchkins have grown into sharp cheek-boned adolescents. Yes my friends, our family is in the throws of raising teenagers.
I've got two guys and a gal. It's all so much harder than I thought it would be. When they were young, let's say under five, I thought it was difficult. If not impossible to make sure these three didn't get injured, maimed or killed. When I had less hands then kids to hold onto, I was sure something catastrophic was going to happen. I thought, with my own youthful hubris, if we can just make it to ten, surely things will get easier for all of us.
In some ways, it has. The older two are in high school. So close to being able to drive themselves places. They have the ability to make plans and communicate them clearly. While they still humor me with watching a show together, I know much less about the day to day interactions they have with their friends. Also, I don't always know their friends parents. This season is much more about relying on the God I entrusted them to as babies. It's a greater exercise in faith then when I controlled their social calendar. They guys are making choices about their faith I don't always agree with. Watching them struggle through friendships and romantic relationships is much more about giving counsel than it is mandating what choice should be made. The looming specters of graduation, college choice and young adulthood are just months away instead of years. My prayers have become a lot more about keeping them safe. That God would give them wisdom and discernment. That their future spouses would be people of God. That the places they end up at for school and work would be places that see and appreciate their talents. That each of my boys would be willing to pay their dues while also leaning into the gifts, talents and skills they have. Being both servants and leaders in the way of Christ that was hopefully modeled at home.
The youngest is our gal. She is a special blend of childhood innocence and early adolescent spunk. We are transitioning away from the carefree nature of our sprite and moving into the realm of peer acceptance, girl-drama, mental whiplash from emotional swings and the wariness of entering middle school. My daughter and I are wrestling with moving from me being her favorite person to me being on the sidelines. I'm not sure where I would rather be. There's a lot more emotions to process. A lot of letting go of childish ways. There's so much fear in becoming a teen. So much is unknown and can't be understood until you are actually going through the situations. We pray for friends that know Jesus. Young sisters in Christ who can come along side her and strengthen her resolve not to compromise in this world. That my daughter's need for others approval would be smaller than her knowledge of who she is in the eyes of Christ.
We are in a land fraught with danger, this land of teendom. It has many unknowns and variables. This where we see if the lessons of youth carry into adulthood. Whether the seeds planted have landed on fertile or rocky soil. There is little to do but be available, keep praying, being a chauffer when necessary, and always having their favorite snacks on hand.
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