Being a mom of a teenage boy presents challenges that not only change daily but cause me to lose sleep at night.
Am I giving him enough space to grow?
Am I protecting him from the world enough without sheltering him too much?
Am I allowing his opinions to be formed solely on what he feels?
Am I showing him the appropriate amount of affection for him to feel loved and cared for but not be weird.
Am I talking too much?
Am I not talking enough?
NO ONE can prepare you for the constant battle that you feel as a parent of a teenager to let them go but to want to pull them back.
I love this boy with every bit of my heart. He is the child that EVERY doctor told me I would NEVER ever have. So any opportunity we get to talk and laugh and share time and space, I feel so lucky.
Time matters when your parental clock is ticking and love over time shows kids they matter. Stories over time allow them to imagine how they can fit into the world.
So I’ll keep talking, keep being awkward, keep trying to listen and let him decide his opinions without interjecting mine, keep believing in him, encouraging him to try new things and just pray that it’s all enough.
936 weeks from birth to 18 goes by in a flash. We are about to enter the last phase and I’m excited and petrified to see him grow enough to leave our home.
The good news is that the more I show up in big ways and little ways, the more I allow him space to be him and the more I model what love can look like, the more he may take with him when he leaves. It’s my prayer and my hope everyday.
This is a contributed post from Laura Petel. She has a degree in early childhood, so her expertise with kids ends at age 8. Currently flying blind through high school parenting, married to a great guy and mom of one amazing kid and two labradoodles.
Parenting teens and tweens is not easy, looking for a little more inspiration:
This is What To Say And Do When Your Teen Is In A Funk
Dear Teen Son, Don’t Be in Such a Hurry To Become a Man
Dear Teenage Son, This Is The Kind Of Man We Hope You Will Become
My son is 16 but he is Down Syndrome and Autistic. He will never grow up or get a job or drive and I want to cry sometimes cuz he doesn’t know this other world. But I am blessed with one of God’s special gifts my son. I also have a 25 year old son that I did experience it with. I know how you felt.