Our 17 year old son JW loves working on the farm and last week he told me he just loves to work together with his Dad. I was teary! (Don’t judge) I have had many conversations in the past few years with other parents who wish their kids enjoyed being with them. That is often the plight of parents with teenagers. It seems they go from loving us one day to thinking we are irrelevant, old and un cool the next. Now, I am not saying JW thinks we are cool… cause he doesn’t (and he’s right) but He does love to work and get dirty with us. Why? To keep it short… Grace!
Teenagers do stuff, go through stuff and get involved in stuff that is bad for them. It happens… how we handle this as parents determines if they will turn to us or run from us. This doesn’t mean we shield them from consequences but we don’t push them away when these consequences hit. Providing an environment of love and acceptance even when they fail. We give them love and affection when affectionately loving a teenager is hard!
We all need a friend or two like that!
