I loved the years of only having littles and babies. It was hard, exhausting and trying. And there were days I wanted to pull my hair out or I’d feel I couldn’t do my job anymore. But I loved those years.
There were also days full of cuddles, laughter, and loads of fun. And there were days I’d never want to end. I loved those years.
Now having a teenager, tweens, middles, littles and babies....it’s a whole different world. And I love it. My oldest is quickly becoming one of my best friends. The tweens are starting to turn into friends, but are still very much in the child years. It’s not uncommon to find 3-5 of us, of all different ages, sitting in the living room chatting away. These years are just as much fun as the years of only littles and babies. Maybe even more fun.
I’ve been warned over and over again through the years, “oh just wait till they get to the teen years. 🙄” I can remember hearing people say that to my Momma and remember looking at her to see what she would say or do. She always gave the person her beautiful smile and cheerfully replied “I can’t wait!!!” I’d then look back at the person to see they would have a horrified expression, or a shocked one, or looked like they had just seen an alien. They would stammer out some sort of response and escape.
When I had only littles, it became my turn to get that comment. Because of my Momma’s example and what I’ve learned in the Scriptures, I’ve always responded that I couldn’t wait. And yes, I got some looks for sure. But I was being honest when I said that and it’s still true now that I’m in those years.
Watching your kids grow up physically and mentally is an amazing thing. But seeing them grow in Christ and watching their faith mature……it’s hard to top that.
We’ve invested a lot of time in training our kids in Christ, teaching them godly character qualities, and (almost) always being willing to chat about anything and everything. I’ll be very honest with you. There are times that there are a million things happening at once and someone or something else has to take priority. Or I just need a few seconds of quiet. But we work hard to always stop what we’re doing to talk. And boy has it paid off! The things my kids have come to me about has been astounding sometimes. From a sin they are struggling with that I had absolutely no idea about, to a conversation they had with someone, to an incident that happened that they need advice on how to handle, to personal physical things…..and anything in-between all that.
Having a teen in the house has presented some unique challenges. But having her become more and more a friend is something I love. Having two tweens in the house who I love to sit and chat with is amazing.
It’s not easy to keep their hearts. And it’s a lot of work. But it’s worth it. And one day you’ll find you have a built in best friend.
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