Teens

Later that night, my oldest daughter told me, “Sometimes all we want you to do is ask us our opinion on things like celebrating Valentine’s Day."

We discussed the natural feelings of liking someone, handling this by choosing to sit together at lunch, or being part of group gatherings for birthdays or school events.  

In every moment when you're tempted to burst into tears or fear about the future, remind yourself that this is what you've been working toward. Then, choose to be thankful that you've done it! You've raised a tiny little babe into the awesome adult-ish person that he or she is. Soak it all in, sit in the moment, and take mental snapshots. Put the phone down and be present. Stop and tell yourself -- "Good job! LOOK at what all we've been through to get to this point," and then take a second to imagine all the good things ahead.

Parenting high schoolers requires us to shift our strategies from how we were parented. It’s going to look different from “back in my day.” Rather than expect my kids to fit into the paradigm of my experience, I need to be willing to adapt to their reality.

Now that my boys are older, I find myself asking "OMG, what happened?" on a daily basis. There's the overly packed calendar, homework I struggle to help with, the two sets of feet that are now bigger than mine, the amount of food (and subsequent grocery bill) that they eat.

Throw grace around like confetti, especially on yourself, but also on your child, your other children, your friends, and your spouse. Generously fling about grace for whatever you may be feeling. It is no small endeavor to transition into the next thing, and your next step may not look like that of others.

Pioneer parent and team member Heather chats with Momfessions in this episode all about social media safety for our kids.