Babies are adorable and charming, cute and cuddly and don’t we all love them, can’t resist them and even dream about having them. So they grow into toddlers and they are everywhere and anywhere, one minute of forgotten attention and they are up-to some mischief or are just nowhere to be found. Even then they are cute and cuddly and mean the world to us.
Now they are getting bigger, wiser and now in school… they are still your best friend, trust you and love you to death and still so much dependent on you. Parents love these obedient adorable children who say you are the best and no else seems to matter in their lives.
Teenage hood. Crazy place to be and somehow in this stage we feel like we are losing our angels, children. They are growing up too fast.
They have a mind of their own, want to spend time with their friends, have places they think they should be, things they should be doing, which you necessarily do not agree with. All this in the name of growing up.
So what to do? This is where patience and understanding comes in. They are still the same children only now they are much bigger, more intelligent, understand more can handle more on their own and are discovering their new selves.
Teenagers need our support and understanding. They need us more than they know. We should be there to hold their hand when need be and give them their space so as to avoid stepping on each other’s toes and becoming melodramatic. We need to talk to them on a frequent basis. Telling them the truth as much as possible, especially when it comes to the growth and changes of their bodies.
We have to be understanding and patience especially when it comes to their mood swings. With teens one hour they are laughing with you, the next they wish you never existed. We have to be able to talk to them even at these times because without our guarding hand they are lost. I always say it is better they get firsthand information from the parent than out there, because out there it could be all twisted and wrong.
Involve yourself in their activities both in school and at home. Share their experiences, laugh together, cry together, and win together. Spend as much time as you can with them. Get to know their friends, what they enjoy doing, what they hate. After all this may be the last stage you spend with them because once they are adults out they go. Understand them as much as possible and above else don’t forget to pray for them, they are still precious and adorable only from a different view. Truth be told they love you and need you just as much and we just need to be there.
