Mom Heart Moments #339

When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.

THERE IS A BRIEF WINDOW OF time when children are dependent upon their parents, believing everything they say and wanting to please them. This season seems to go by quickly, and is the time to prepare their hearts as well as our own for the years when they will naturally begin to seek independence.

All teens must test what they have been taught and own what they really believe. Maneuvering through this transition with wisdom and faith is essential to coming through at the other end with a relationship still intact.

It is important to talk to your children about all kinds of subjects before they become teens and to develop a trusting relationship where they can confide their fears, thoughts, negative feelings, and even doubts about God. If they know that you will not react in fear or lay guilt on them, they will probably still want to talk to you about the mysterious issues of teenage life. They will know that you are their ally.

If they think you will get mad, make fun of them, yell, or not understand, often they will seek the input of others, who may or may not share your values.

Even though they may seem to be pushing you away, teens need you to walk beside them every step and to be involved in their lives, in order to protect them from unnecessary scars. They need your advice and guidance to help them make wise decisions.

Sometimes teen passages feel a little like the toddler years. You are supposed to be the mature one who doesn’t yell and become emotional, but often when moms have teens, they are in the midst of their own hormones reversing and may have emotional and angry bouts themselves.

Grace, steadfastness, and love cover a multitude of sins!

Have you embraced the idea of your children growing up and into independence? How can you walk alongside them in an understanding way?