Thursday, April 17, 2008

The Angst of Teenagers


Yesterday I was reading Tracy Helgeson's blog in which she mentioned that her son was turning thirteen. That really got me to thinking about teenagers in general as I do happen to have two of them.
Teenagers are this strange group of people who are stuck between adulthood and childhood. Every so often you see fragments of their young selves shining through but just as quickly it disappears only to make itself known at another time and another place. There appears to be this struggle between who they are and who they long to become. I think we as adults sometimes forget what a tumulteous period of life it is. At very rare moments they think you are cool (but only if their friends are not around) sometimes they are loving but can just as quickly withdraw with the thought that no one really understands them. The world they live in is something they will have to journey through all the while experiencing their own joys and hardships. As parents we want so badly to ensure that they suffer no adversity but deep down inside we know that it is necessary for them to continue to grow as people.
A friend of John's once said about teenagers, "it is almost as if when your sweet little one turns 13 they enter into a tunnel. Every so often they emerge briefly to see if there is anything to eat, to sometimes watch a movie with you, to do chores grudingly and most importantly to tell you they love you."
So I'm thinking..........after all is said and done and the teenage years have passed, your beautiful sweet child reappears from that tunnel full of all their experiences, good and bad, and you truly realize.......maybe you really did do a lot of things right.

6 comments:

Ellen said...

I'm not there yet with my kids, but I feel it fast approaching and glimpses of what it may be like. Confusing to say the least. I'm hoping good humor will ride me through.

andrea said...

As a parent of a 13 year old, I found myself nodding a lot! My 15 year old, mature for his age, is starting to come out the other end of the tunnel already. It's a fascinating process, isn't it?

Melody said...

It really is a fascinating process. I find my oldest child who is 15 (I think our kids are exactly the same age) very responsible and mature. I've heard that is usually the way with the first born. My youngest.......yikes

Tracy Helgeson said...

Thanks for the mention, Melody. My newly 13 year old is pretty mature I think, and he is very self confident so I don't foresee anything too difficult with him (famous last words I know:) But my youngest daughter, sheesh, I am already afraid of what she will bring us!

Melody said...

Tracy, I'm with you...as I had commented to Andrea, my oldest not a worry. My youngest, I'm already pulling our the grey hairs.

Melody said...

Girl Works Studio...you've got the idea.....you just gotta laugh