parentingteensandtweens.com

A Community for Surviving The Teen Years

  • Home
  • Teen Dating
  • Teenage Sexuality
  • Jobs for Teens
  • Teenage Problems
  • Parenting Teens and Tweens
  • Teens and Technology
  • Shop

Dear Daughter, Let Me Help Make Sure Life Doesn’t Wear You Down

March 15, 2019 by parentingteensandtweens Leave a Comment

  • Facebook1274
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest205
Dear Teen Daughter, Let Me Help Keep Life From Wearing You Down

Dear Teen Daughter, Please Don't Let The World Wear You Down

 

I picked you up from school an hour later so you could stay to make up a test.  As soon as I saw you, I knew. You looked utterly defeated as you walked toward the car with sunken shoulders and your head hanging down.

It seemed as if the weight of the world had collapsed right on top of you.

An out of town competitive swim meet had meant missing school and having three tests to make up upon your return.You worked so hard getting caught back up and preparing for these make-up exams. Especially in one class- a college credit course with concepts that are exceptionally difficult for a 15-year-old to master.

When you got into the car you told me you didn’t do well on the test. You had studied for hours and you felt prepared. The the test was just too hard.

You are in all honors classes and it feels like a mountain summit you can never reach.

The layout of this academic climb demands so much of you. So much that I worry you are wearing yourself down with all the overwhelming expectations of today’s academic culture.

It’s simply too much.

And my heart breaks into tiny pieces as I watch you try so hard to reach the top, only to tumble down and fall- buried in a heap of failure.

When I was your age, it was all so much simpler.

I don’t think I would survive under the pressures you are facing. I am amazed by your determination and perseverence while simultaneously appalled by the standards set for our students these days.

I want to make things easier for you, more realistic and attainable for your young age- but I can’t.  This is the reality of our modern high school landscape, full of mountains where the grueling trek uphill for our kids never ends.

I watch in awe as you traverse through this treacherous terrain with grit and strength and stamina. But I know it’s wearing you down. I worry all this stress is the new normal for kids your age and that’s simply not right. You are a fifteen-year-old living a life that would be too much for most adults, despite still being a child.

The competition for college admissions is fierce.  You have to fight your way in through those doors with the highest GPA and several college courses already under your belt along with a remarkable SAT/ACT test score. The pressure is palpable and there’s no way around it. But you accept this all without complaint, because you have BIG dreams and this is just what needs to be done to achieve them.

You amaze me with such steadfast focus and extraordinary plans.

When I was 15, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I rarely invested my efforts in anything but picking out my outfits for the day, scrounging for change to buy a diet coke, and making weekend plans with my friends.

Oh, how things have changed.

I want to gather you into my arms and tell you that some of these mountains are just too big for your age. But this is your reality.

So, I’ll do what I can to help you get through these hard years. I’ll help you pace your steps and plan your course. I’ll be your encourager and a soft place to fall when the weight of the world pushes you down.

And I will remind you my beautiful girl, don’t let life wear you down. Over and over again, I will repeat that same sentence to you.

Because don’t we all let life wear us down?

Don’t we all struggle with investing too much into too many areas of our lives? Now you are facing these tough choices and cruel lessons at too young an age. Which is why I must teach you about the delicate balance between stress and self-care, pressure and perspective, work and rest.

How else will you learn?

As carefully as you plan and prepare for your future, as hard as you work to fulfill your dreams, if you bury yourself in the depths of every detail and lose yourself in the demands of each day- you will burn out before you ever get where you’re so set on going.

So, dear daughter, keep trying, keep forging ahead with that grit and grind.

But just remember, you have many more mountains to climb long after you finish high school and get into college.

If you want to reach not only today’s dreams, but also the ones you haven’t even begun to dream yet, you’re going to have to figure out how to manage it all.

I’ll help you do that, okay?

Because my dear teen daughter, there’s too much life ahead of you to let it wear you down this soon.

This post was contributed by Christine Carter who writes at TheMomCafe.com, where she hopes to encourage mothers everywhere through her humor, inspiration, and faith. Her work is published on several various online publications as well. She is the author of “Help and Hope While You’re Healing: A woman’s guide toward wellness while recovering from injury, surgery, or illness.”

Parenting Teens and Tweens is a tough job, but here are a few other posts to help and encourage you.

How to Talk to Your Teen About Anxiety and Stress

Why Self Care Is One Of The Most Important Lessons We Can Teach Our Teens

It’s Hard to Be Fifteen

Filed Under: Parenting Teens and Tweens

« 8 Genius Responses For When Your Teen Is Being Lazy And Entitled
Simple Advice That Will Help You Survive Teaching Your Teen To Drive »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Welcome! Parenting Tweens and Teens Can Be Tough, But You Don’t Have To Do It Alone. So glad you are here. >>>LEARN MORE

PINTEREST

Follow Sunshine and Hurricanes Best of S&H on Pinterest.

FACEBOOK

POPULAR POSTS

  • Why Your Teen Feels Like All You Do Is Criticize Them And How To Fix It
    Why Your Teen Feels Like All You Do Is Criticize Them And How To Fix It
  • Moms of Teens, Sometimes All You Can Do Is The Next Right Thing
    Moms of Teens, Sometimes All You Can Do Is The Next Right Thing
  • The Best TV Series Families With Teens and Tweens Can Enjoy Together
    The Best TV Series Families With Teens and Tweens Can Enjoy Together

Copyright © 2021 · PRIVACY POLICY· Website by Moritz Fine Designs LLC

Copyright © 2021 · Tasteful Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

  • 1274
  • 205