These two are the reason I get up in the morning and the reason I keep pushing through. Parenting isn't always easy, and there are moments when I feel I am failing them, but then I see the kind of people they are and I'm amazed.
I've worried so much about the teen years because I remember what it was like to be a teenager. The innocence of childhood gets lost and you're caught in the middle of no longer being a kid but not old enough to be an adult and, of course, there's the pressure to fit in. I think I worry mainly because of the kind of teenager I was. One that hung out with a bad crowd and did bad things. One who felt completely useless and unworthy to live this life. Then I realized, I'm not raising my kids the same way I was raised. I put so much effort in being the kind of parent who makes sure my kids know just how loved and important they are. We teach them that God has a plan and purpose for them and to live their lives in a way that glorifies Him. I listen with the intent to make them feel that whatever they have to say is important. I'm certainly not a perfect parent and I won't pretend to be, but when I look at my kids I realize we must be doing something right.
My son is a bit of an overachiever who is doing better academically and in life than I ever did. My daughter has a heart that exudes compassion to help others. Both of them freak out whenever they hear someone say a bad word, they think smoking, drugs and drinking alcohol is dumb (and my daughter gets upset when I have a glass of wine). I'm hopeful that the way they are now is the way they'll always be.
