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The Joys of Teenagers

Remember when the teenagers we have were young, and sweet and precious? The biggest issues we dealt with were feedings, napping and crying? And remember when the siblings loved each other??



Then it seemed like overnight, they grew up, they are learning to do things themselves, making their own decisions. A parent's job is to guide them as they grow, giving them the freedom and responsibility they need to be responsible adults. Parenting teenagers, I am learning, is tough! And we are learning a lot! High school, jobs, driving open up a whole new world of experiences for the teen and the family. This week we got a new taste of teenage experience - our first fender bender:

This is the other parties car:







This is our damage, very minimal, the other party clearly got the worst of the damage, unfortunately, the fault lies with us... so we consider this a (expensive!) learning experience.







We are thankful for life's experiences and for what God can do through us as we deal with issues, big and small. May we all learn and grow through all things. And Lord, please help me raise these boys into men of God, filled with integrity, responsibility and to do great things for You.



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Comments

  1. FarrahMarch 19, 2009 at 4:20 PM

    I had to laugh when I read the title. We have a 15 year old son and he's a whole species in and of himself!

    Glad there wasn't too much damage.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Laurie AnnMarch 19, 2009 at 4:45 PM

    Glad hte damage was minimal and that a valuable lesson was learned. I remember my first fender bender, my bonus daughter's first bender (Steve nearly cried over his firebird that he had given her), and my sister's. My sister's was hilarious. When the lady she hit asked for her insurance company's name she told her Blue Cross/Blue Shield, LOL! The lady later called Mother, not upset at all, and got it all straightened out.

    Oh, the joys of raising teenagers. I'm glad that's behind me!

    ReplyDelete
  3. 3 Peas in a PodMarch 19, 2009 at 5:45 PM

    Ooohh glad no one was hurt. Not looking forward to when my kids are teenagers. I'll have 3 at once and I know it isn't going to be pretty. I'm surprised my Mom still talks to me after how horrible I was to her when I was 13+. I came out on the other side so at least that will give me hope for my kids. :-)

    Much love from NJ,
    Sue
    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  4. DeborahMarch 19, 2009 at 9:21 PM

    Now I'm afraid to go Tuesday and let my 15 yr old get his permit! We went through several of these binders with my daughter...thus the reason we made her drive a van the first few years.

    ReplyDelete
  5. JenniferMarch 19, 2009 at 10:12 PM

    So sorry for having to learn that lesson...but had to tell you that your baby pictures were absolutely adorable! What sweeties...

    ReplyDelete

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