I am tired of hearing people complain about teens. Just yesterday I heard it again--”Thankfully only one of mine is a teen...How do you do it with two?”
Seriously?
Do people not remember what it was like to be a teen? Do you have partial amnesia when it comes to remembering that YOU, adult now, wanted to do things, wanted to be things, that your parents or teachers DIDN’T? Did you forget how passionately you felt about things, how alive you felt, how every day was filled with wonder and excitement? And don’t you remember how people, OLDER people, teachers and parents and the media, poo-pooed your feelings, told you you had no idea what life was really about?
They were wrong.
When you were excited and passionate about life, that was the rightest time there was for you! Get back there again! Embrace your inner teen!
When you were willing to rebel against to status quo to be who you really were, that’s where you need to be again! Don’t look to mom or church or society to tell you who you are--YOU KNOW! Be her!
And then, when you are happy and glowing in your own, well-adjusted, self-assured teen-ti-tude, look at your own teens.
They are awesome, aren’t they. I mean, REALLY AWESOME!
They’re excited about so many things, and so deeply! They’re funny and tell dirty jokes and LAUGH....join them! They want to keep odd hours and hang out with friends and listen to music and eat too much or not enough (perfect for them!)--help them do that! Sure, sometimes they don’t look at the “big picture”, sure sometimes they just live “in the moment”....
BE MORE LIKE THAT!
Sometimes they do something until it’s not fun, and then they stop.....
WHY AREN’T YOU?
Sometimes they act like being happy is the most important thing....
AND THEY’RE RIGHT!
Find your joy--and please, go hug your teen.
Join our family of rabid unschoolers (frothing at the mouth) as we quit our day jobs, skip the country, and live, love and learn in the "real world"! Mom, Dad, two teens and a toddler traverse Thailand.
Best thing I've read all morning! Very beautiful and we should all stop and remember our inner teen!
ReplyDelete"Teen-ti-tude" ! Love that! I remember when Alec was 13 and someone was telling me how much they were dreading the teen years. (with Alec right there!) I said I thought it would be great and they asked how old Alec was, I told them 13 and they stuttered and said.. just wait til next year! Alec was wondering what was going to happen.. was he going to contract a disease or something?? (his words ) Now 5 years later and there are 3 teens in the house, Life is Awesome! <3
ReplyDeleteThis was wonderful, thank you!
ReplyDeleteI LURVE all my teenager friends. I'm so happy to know them and be in their lives. I love everything about them.
ReplyDeletei wonder how people forget those feelings as well, they are still right there for me so often! thanks for this post dana! :)
ReplyDeleteThere is such a thing as moderation, and we are here to teach our children to grow into functioning members of society not self-serving people that act on impulse 24/7. I will love my teens enough to teach them right from wrong AND still manage to have fun along the way. And don't even get me started on the dirty joke bit. That's just irresponsible and lazy parenting right there.
ReplyDeleteThe worst thing I hear - is "kids today" I fucking hate hearing that so much that I usually go off. I usually say "I'm pretty sure when Jesus was a kid - those "adults" around HIM were saying..... "man, that Jesus.....kids today huh?" Kids today fucking rock my soxs! lol I love 'em!
ReplyDeletesorry for the eff bombs lol... i just can't help it. ;)
ReplyDelete@Wired Whimsy, it takes great care and crafting to come up with the dirty jokes that my teens and I tell each other--there is nothing lazy about it. Note to self--do not invite Wired Whimsy over for dirty joke marathon. Next note to self--DO invite @Beth--she can throw an F bomb like nobody's business! :D
ReplyDeletei don't have a teen yet but i can say that i look forward to those years with great passion. of course, the schooled teens that i know these days aren't my favorite people... all they do is complain about school! i feel so terrible for them.
ReplyDeletegreat blog. following now!