On Teenagers and Tantrums

Public Tantrum in Action

I was talking to the parent of older children recently and he was saying that it's hard to have teenagers and he wishes he could go back to the stage of toddlers having tantrums.  I completely understood what he meant.  When the biggest fight we have during the day happens because the toddler doesn't want to be buckled into the shopping cart, things aren't so bad.  Teenagers deal with a whole host of other problems, and so much of their lives are away from their parents that it must be very hard to parent them at times.  I need to be diligent about building up the relationships I have with my kids while we still have so much time together so that the relationships will be more likely to endure the challenges of The Teenage Years.

I'm still a couple of years away from that, but I feel like I've entered the "tween" phase, so we're getting closer.  It sure gives me a new appreciation for the sweet little things my younger kids do, and helps me to have patience with their littleness when a part of me is saying, "Just grow up already!"