Hi, My Name is Shari and I have Teenagers

My 15 year old daughter’s eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped open as she looked at me and got in the car.   Thinking that something was terribly wrong I made the mistake of asking “what’s wrong?” Out spilled these words,  “WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU WEARING!?”

Oh yes..I had done it again, the faux pas of fashion.  She pleaded with me to “never ever wear that dress again.” She told me I was an embarrassment to her and that she didn’t want any of her friends seeing me like “THAT!” 

When she saw the laughter on my face and that shaming me wasn’t working she turned to manipulation.

These were her exact words, “Mom you are such a beautiful woman, but wearing that dress..well, it makes you look ugly! Mom, I know what you are going to say,  ‘it only matters what’s on the inside’  But that’s not true in this case!”

At my house I have 13 and 15 year old daughters and a son that just turned 18. Thank goodness he has moved on out of puberty because who ever said boys were easy and girls were harder didn’t have my son! 

I’ve been through 7 teen puberties! Yes, you read that right… 7! Here are some things I’ve learned along the way.

1. I’ve learned to forgive and to be forgiven.
2. I’ve learned to practice what I preach.
3. I’ve learned that it’s ok not to be in control.
4. I’ve learned that it’s ok to cry and let them see.
5. I’ve learned that they need to lean on God more than they lean on me.
6. I’ve learned that it’s all a process and that nothing lasts forever.
7. I’ve learned that this parenting thing is a marathon not a sprint.
8. I’ve learned that I don’t know everything
9. I’ve learned to laugh more.
10. I’ve learned to have boundaries…in love.
11. I’ve learned that I can learn a lot from teens.
12. I’ve learned to act not react…most of the time.
13. I’ve learned to stand on God’s promises without wavering
14. I’ve learned that discipline is good even when it hurts me more than it hurts my children.
15. You don’t have to be a perfect mom to raise amazing children

I’m not perfect and everyday I’m humbled. Just as my children are learning and growing…so am I.

So do you have teens?  What have they taught you about yourself?

You can find Shari blogging here Fridays. To read more of her blogs, click here!