teens

"Just wait until they're teenagers." This is the phrase older parents throw out to younger ones when our kids are little. As if it's not enough trying to figure out how to sleep through the night, let alone do the dishes or laundry, now you have this forecast of impending doom. Fabulous. It's like when you start a new exercise program and people say, "Oh, just wait until you get to week 5. Week 5 will kill you!" Now I don't want to get to week 5. I used to imagine that our sweet, enjoyable children would turn into zombies when they became teenagers. All we had invested in them would be wiped clean. Despite our best efforts, they would slide into the inevitable. I kept waiting for it to happen. I waited. And I waited. Friends, I would like to report that, contrary to these dire predictions, I really, really, really love being a parent of teenagers. Let me tell you why: Why I love being a parent of teenagers They are independent The day we realized we could leave our kids at home alone felt like the clouds parted and the angels sang. Sure, there are phone calls like, "Hey-you told me to go to the dentist, but you didn't leave me a car," and "help! I left the cardboard under the pizza and now the top's done but not the bottom!" (seriously, these things happened), but it's all good. Not having to meet all their day to day needs means we have more energy to simply enjoy being with them. They're learning to figure out life on their own, and we get a little bit of life outside of parenting back. Win-win. We have adultish conversations Gone are the days when I'm desperate for an adult conversation because I get to have them on a regular basis with these kids who suddenly have minds of their own. More and more, we get to engage in deeper topics with them-faith, politics, relationships. Bonus? While they can talk on this level, they're still willing to listen to our viewpoints and generally believe them. One of my greatest joys? Our kids are versed in Enneagram, which is one of my favorite things in the whole world. It's like they just showed up to my party. They challenge me While I love seeing them, our daughter, in particular, keep up with my snarkiness, that's not the only reflection of my character I observe in them. Nothing like seeing your own faults in a mirror, right? Yet it's a good check in my spirit to reflect on myself and what I'm modeling for them. But more than that, our kids are gaining wisdom of their own. One day, my husband walked into the kitchen and commented on the challenges of leadership. Our then 16-year-old replied, "If you're leading, and everyone still likes you, you're probably doing it wrong. " Indeed. They drop these wisdom bombs on us from time to time. They still need their mama Despite…