Teenage Life Lessons

I have been meaning to write this blog for quite a few weeks now, but I think it is the continual teenage life lessons that have prevented me. Having a 15 year old has been an adventure so far. From the continual disagreements about the amount of time that should be spent on a smartphone, social media, and gaming system to disappointments of being cut from a sports team. From the things that classmates can say that cut to the core to teachers who he feels he has no connection with. There are many times that I have said these four words, “and this is life.” I am sure that my son is tired of those four words, but I want him to learn he can do hard things. I think sometimes we try to protect our children from the pain and hurt too much. I do not like watching my two kids hurt (who does), but I am doing them no good if they don’t experience pain. When Dillon was cut from a sports team I wanted to take the hurt away, but then I was reminded of how much growth he could gain from this setback. The lesson of we don’t always get what we want. Or the lesson of this is why we put hard work and effort into something you want really bad. The lesson of determining was that sport something you are really passionate about or just a social thing you did. Also, the most important lesson of picking yourself back up after a fall. Learning how to look at every situation/circumstance as an opportunity. An opportunity to learn. An opportunity to overcome. There are many adults (myself included at times) who have yet to learn this lesson. My goal is that my children will engrain in their minds to ask themselves what can I learn from this situation. Not ask themselves why did this happen to me!

Our job as parents is to remind our child that each circumstance/situation can result in personal growth, which in turn results in them becoming a better person. I love this quote I came across the other day, “Don’t hope for a life without problems. There’s no such thing. Instead, hope for a life full of good problems.” Let’s remind our children like Rick Warren says, “God changes caterpillars into butterflies, sand into pearls, and coal into diamonds using time and pressure. He’s working on you too!” When we encourage our children that they can do hard things and we remind them that they are a work in progress, opportunities are endless. One more quote for the day as you face that teenage challenge, “a bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because her trust is not on the branch but on it’s own wings. Always believe in yourself.”