Teen in the House

There are certain telltale signs that you now have a teenager living in the house...

• The phone started ringing a lot more.

• My cell phone minutes were burned up by complaining.

• There was a noticeable increase in the grocery bill.

• His room became messier.

• He suddenly forgot how hangers work.

• Mood swings and raging hormones made their grand entrance.

• Tears appeared at the drop of a hat. (Wait... boys do this too?!)

• The wisdom we would impart seemed to hit the wall.

• Sharing was no longer an option.

• Authority started being questioned.

• And, of course...

• Pimples made their debut.

Does any of this sound familiar?

I can still remember rocking my firstborn as a baby, convinced that our child would be different.

He would grow up to be independent, respectful, and always listen to our wise advice.

That plan worked beautifully...

Until about age three.

(He absolutely hated nap time!)

From what I've been told, the teenage years are quite the adventure. We can choose to go through them the easy way or the hard way...

I'm definitely voting for the easy way.

If you've figured out the secret, I'd love for you to share it with me!

The truth is, I would give my life for the teenager living in my house.

I love him that much.

He's a wonderful young man who is beginning to carve out his own identity, and that's exactly what he's supposed to do.

My job is to keep praying that he'll hold tightly to the values we've tried to teach him.

To offer hugs when they're needed.

To stay firm when it's important.

And to remember that the human brain isn't fully developed until around age twenty-five...

So maybe I'll cut him a little slack now and then.

Growing up isn't always easy.

Neither is watching your children grow up.

But I wouldn't trade the journey for anything.

Nathan...

We love you so much.

Happy Birthday, Teenager!