Sixteen
Well, I’m sitting down to take a breath and say “hello” after a very busy past several days. We had one of those snow storms on Thursday that sends Southerners into a frenzy and frustrates Northerners like my husband for a good 24 hours before it all melts off and all is right with the world again.
And, oh yeah, there was this little thing about my son turning 16…
Of course it got me thinking back to just a few years ago…
That was back when I was wringing my hands, trying to figure out how to get him to stay in his “big boy bed” and break him from his paci. And finally getting him potty trained became the biggest accomplishment of my life.
“Things are so much easier now, ” {said no mom of a teenager ever!}.
Motherhood, easy? Rarely. The most rewarding job ever? Quite possibly.
I’m praying for you moms of teenagers out there. And I hope you’ll pray for me, too. It’s a daunting task to raise kids in the world in which we live. They have so many influences all around them, ready to tear them down at any given moment, but we have the Lord to help us build them up and encourage them to make the right choices. Every. day.
It’s often thought that giving birth is one of the most difficult things a mother will go through. But, I think raising a teenager is like birthing them into adulthood. The labor lasts for several years and there’s no epidural for this one. And just when one bad contraction passes, here comes another. Some days I do a pretty good job, and other days I really blow it.
But, I’m thankful that my husband and I are not alone in this. The Lord gives us the wisdom we need, when we need it. And I remind myself once again how blessed I am that God chose me out of every one in the world to be Grant’s mom.
I’m so proud of him and the young man he is turning out to be. He’s a good son, a sweet brother to his 3 sisters (most of the time), and a loyal friend. He’s striving to know the Lord more each day so he can be more like Him.
And even though he’s far from perfect, he’s always been a super kid.
I’ll tell you all about his Super 16 superhero birthday bash as soon as I can muster up some super powers to get this place cleaned up.
January 21, 2013 @ 3:46 pm
My daughter turned 16 in May. It is so scary. As good as she is, I am always worried about what the outside world my have in store for her in the future. She's learning how to drive right now and that frightens me to death. It is not so much her getting into an accident, but that this right of passage is leading her into adulthood. I'm going to have to let go of the control I have over her life soon and let her take the reins. It is so scary. I send best wishes to you and your son. Sometimes I wish my kids could stay little forever.
January 27, 2013 @ 4:02 pm
Julie, as a mother of 3 grown daughters, I hear ya. You described it so perfectly, never thought of it like that, birthing them into adulthood, so true! I'm a grandma now to a beautiful 18 month old boy, and my daughter is experiencing those firsts you described. I just sit back and enjoy the little guy, knowing she has a lot more harder things to go through when he gets to be a teenager. Oh the joys of being a grandma! So worth all those hard years of raising kids.