Teenagers

Whew! I thought when you kids were younger, like 100% dependent on you for everything, that that is when they need you most. Was I wrong! What a balancing act we have as parents to teach our children what choices to make, how to act and how to react - whatever happened to feed me and put clothes on my back and give me shelter!  Those days are gone.  The first 3 weeks of 2012 for me have been everything from a health baby to girl drama at school to hating school to horse lessons and hitting a deer and everything in between.

I am realizing as my girls get older that teaching them to react the right way (the grown up way) is so important. I am realizing now that I didn't pre-preach that subject.  Especially with girls, the drama is vicious and quick and ever changing.  My goodness, if you have a pre-teen and it hasn't started yet - get ready for a rough ride.  The phrases that have been going around our house have been - "guilty by association", "every choice (small or big) has a consequence (good or bad" and "listen to that little voice in the back of your head".

The clothes nowadays, too.  I was overhearing a conversation between 2 dads today.  I laughed out loud when I heard one say - "the girls today are dressing so revealing - they didn't dress like that when I was their age, did they? I sure didn't notice or was I that stupid?"  JT and I went out on a date night a couple of weeks ago and I was stunned at what the 20 something crowd of girls we wearing.  One girl had on a dress so short that if she bent over to tie her 6" boot, there would have been no reason for wearing anything at all.  It was revolting.  My father, whether I was 20 or today, would snatch me home and beat me the whole ride home and continue once we got home.  What has happened to self respect, keeping the unseen to the imagination, and self worth.  It is gone.  With YouTube Videos, the internet in general and the mall/movies and anywhere else my teenagers are - how can I protect them.  I can't.  I have to teach them the right way and the wrong way and we are back to those sayings - we rolled our eyes at when we were our children's age - "guilty by association", "every choice (small or big) has a consequence (good or bad" and "listen to that little voice in the back of your head".

And I have found this picture on Facebook and it is so true.  It always amazes me how pulled I am between the kids, the hubby, the furkids, the need for food and cleaning & laundry, the need for transportation, the need for me to go to the bathroom.  Somedays it is just OVER - FREAKING - WHELMING!  So here is the pic:

and in the past 5 minutes I have been interrupted about 6 times... lol...


Leanne