Why Teenagers Rock

...and will, one day, rule the world.

I heard it a lot when the girls were younger ~ maybe especially because I have 3 girls, and girls do have that reputation for being more emotional than boys, especially during the teenage years (we'll talk about that in another entry, someday, perhaps) ~ and I have to confess, I have caught myself saying similar things: "Just wait 'til they're teenagers!" as though it is a threat to National Security. Can't you hear the call?

"Mr. President! Mr. President ~ this is URGENT!!"

"What is it?"

"Teenagers, sir."

"Teenagers? TEENagers!! No...no...it...it...can't be!"

I mean, really. What is this horrible thing that is going to happen when they are teenagers? They're going to...what? talk back? Get a little emotional? Test boundaries? um...spend a lot of time in the bathroom???

*gasp*

Yeah.

My kids have been doing those things since they were born. Isn't that what being a kid is all about? I mean, if you think about it, our job ~ the ultimate goal of parenting ~ is to make ourselves obsolete. Kids have to test boundaries. They have to have to find their place in the world, and figure out how to occupy it ~ who they are, what they stand for, what their life's work will be.

Have Shane and I joked about having 3 teenaged girls at once? Sure. He isn't ready for the dating to begin, for them to begin looking like young women instead of little girls. I am not ready to let go of my babies, and watch them become women because...well, really, who is ever truly READY for that? and, yeah...we could use another bathroom, if they are all going to spend hours in there every morning.

But, honestly, does that REALLY terrify me? No way! I mean, we all know, going in, that they will grow up. That's the plan, right? They will one day be adults, and we will be people they visit and, hopefully, respect and regard fondly. We can try to influence them, lead in a direction we would like to see them go, but, at the end of the day, they have to make that journey into adulthood. We won't agree with all of their decisions, now or then, but we can be proud that they are capable of making decisions. In theory, if we do our job right, chances are we will be proud of them and the decisions they make.

What's the worse that could happen? What are they gonna do ~ take over the world?

Well, good. I hope they do. It's their job, after all. That's right, folks: one day, your sweet little snot-nosed, mushy-cookie-faced toddler will be running the world. He'll be working in cahoots with your defiant 10-year-old drama queen and your slingshot-wielding six-year-old. And we will all be at their mercy.

So, I hope we are getting this right. Face it, we don't get a do-over. I am trying to instill in my children what I think are good values. I am trying to raise caring, kind, compassionate, creative people who have the confidence to work toward their goals. I am doing my best to prepare them to take on the world, and make it their own. I am trying to teach them to respect themselves and others, and to stand up for what they believe is right. I am teaching them to think for themselves, and question authority ~ to not allow anyone, no matter how important, powerful or seemingly well-educated they appear to be to spoon-feed them opinions.

At least...I HOPE I am. It's challenging, when you realize that, as a parent, you ARE authority ~ that they will question and challenge you, before they move on to the rest of the world. But...well...if I stop and think about it, it's all part of the process ~ a step on the road to growing up and becoming those people who rule the world.

Granted, I am just barely beginning to tread the waters of parenting a teenager, but, all joking aside, it doesn't scare me. My daughter is becoming a young woman with thoughts, opinions, ideas and goals of her very own, and, frankly, it is interesting to be a part of her life right now. Honestly, it's not all that different than parenting her has always been, except that, sometimes, she understands things she didn't used to understand. In fact, that has happened before in her life. When she was 5, she understood and navigated the world differently than she did when she was an infant, and when she was 10...well, she wasn't 5, anymore. There is nothing magically scary about people whose ages end in "-teen." Parenting them will raise its unique challenges, just as parenting children at every age does. But, come on. We're parents ~ we can do this. We've done it before, this adapting to our child's developmental needs, and we will do it again...and again...and again...

My plan is to continue to support and guide my daughters, throughout their lives. I hope they will always talk to me, and tell me how they feel and what they believe, what is important to them. As far as teenagers being more emotional than other people is concerned...*shrug*...eh, it's pretty hard to tell around here ~ we've always been emotional people. And, you know, that's okay. We are passionate in our beliefs and our actions, and that's not a bad way to be, no matter what age you are.

If, perhaps, you are of a more temperate nature, and your teenagers' passion should take you by storm, I respectfully request that you try to see what's good about it. Try to focus on that ultimate goal, and see if you can picture yourself, one day, relaxing on your porch with a glass of iced tea, confident that you are in good hands, because your kids ~ those grown-ups, who were once your little babies ~ rule the world.

They will.

There is no doubt in my mind that, one day, they will.