Just Peachy!

Did you ever think that when you became a Mom, you would end up having to scour the web looking up things like,

• Social behavior in teens
• Why are my teens SO moody?
• Typical attitudes of teenagers
• What to Expect (or not) with teens
• And how long does this madness last?

When I first read that book, “What To Expect When You’re Expecting, ” I had no idea that 13 1/2 years later, I’d be frantically googling into the wee hours of the night, “What To Expect When Our Sweet Kids Turn Into Teenagers!”

Turns out that after all that research and reading, my kids are OK!! All of the stuff I’ve been worrying about is nothing out of the ordinary. It’s just the normal stuff that teens experience in order to become healthy adults. In the meantime, a parent’s world is turned upside down, sort of like when kids begin to walk and get into everything.

I can definitely see some similarities between the terrible twos and the teen years!

• Testing limits and tantrums begin to re-emerge in the teen years.
• Teens are messy like toddlers leaving a trail of food all over the house
• Sleep patterns change, as they stay up 1/2 the night on phones and computers (a tired teen is a cranky teen)
• Time-outs are not out of the question and desperately needed sometimes (these can apply to teens or parents)
• The word “NO” becomes one of a teen’s favorite words
• Teens are asserting their independence, while door-slamming, eye-rolling and yelling become all too familiar
• Whining suddenly re-appears but in a different sense. “I waant to go to the mall!”  “I’m bored!” “I’m too tired to do my homework!”

So how do we get through these colorful, moody, tumultuous years? Wine? Frequent solo vacations? Separate residences? Patience? Well, I would vote for all of those, plus some tough love, hugs, and faith, that yes, we will get through this stage too! {I hope}