As my husband and I parented our children through their teen years, I always remembered what my mother said when she had 4 teenagers growing up in our home at the same time-- myself, my sister and two brothers. She said, "I loved having you all as teenagers. You were the best kids, and it was so fun to be around you."
Now that's NOT what the majority of parents would say. And I don't think my siblings and I were perfect or abnormal. But my parents had taught us to be respectful, honest, have faith in God and know that we were children of God and that He had a plan for our lives. We did experience ups and downs and normal teenage disagreements with our parents, but we respected each other, listened to advice from our parents and more importantly, they listened to us. We cooperated together, we supported each other and we loved each other and had fun together.
When I had my teenagers, I experienced the same thing. They were good kids. They were funny, respectful, hardworking, compassionate, and good students. They knew God loved them and had a purpose for their lives. We were blessed with children that would listen to us and honor our decisions.
We were firm and a lot more strict than other parents. I know, because they told me--often. But all seven children have also told me later as adults, that they were glad we were so strict. They were glad they had boundaries and limitations.
Teenagers have a lot of peer pressure to deal with. But so do YOU as parents. Don't cave into your peer pressure, Moms and Dads. Don't go with the flow and let your children go and do what others are doing, just because it is easier and your adult friends are letting their children do things you feel uncomfortable with. Have rules in your home. Let your family set those rules and help everyone to understand why the rule is as it is.
If your teen is having mental health problems, medical problems or acting different, get help--don't let it slide until the problem is worse.
But most importantly, ENJOY your teenagers!
