I am so excited that school is back in session for my kiddos. At the same time, I am sad that my calendar has started to look like a rainbow puked on it. (Everything is color coded) We go back to homework, practices, and a zillion activities. This year especially, has reminded me that I only have 5 more years to make sure that my sons are fully prepared for adult life. 5 more years to make sure that they know how to manage money, shower properly (the struggle is real!), and be responsible. Questions come to mind such as: “Are they confident enough to oppose peer pressure against drugs, sex, etc?” “Do they realize how crazy some girls are?” (Ladies, don’t be offended. Be honest with yourselves, you know what I am talking about here) “Are they able to communicate effectively their needs and be resourceful for themselves?” The answer to these questions are unclear to me. That freaks me out! So, my fourteen year old has been bombarded with uncomfortable talks that include: honoring himself and his future wife, characteristics of crazy girls to watch for, and the outcomes of drug abuse. Honestly, he has been tired of me talking but he is too nice to tell me to stop. Today, as I am having another talk with him, he asked me if we could take a break from the talks. I honored him since he handled it like an adult and was polite about it. First off, the fact that my teenage son communicated to me like a calm, peaceful adult made me so proud. He didn’t react, he didn’t show impatience or frustration, he just asked calmly. I can check “calm communicator” off my list of things to teach him. Through all of this thinking, I have started to think about making my children’s every moment a priority. Not that they weren’t already a priority, but I am focusing more on every little second we have because those seconds are slowly drifting away. So now we get up every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 5:30am and we work out together to start our day. We have time together to talk, listen, and learn about each other as individuals. It has been so refreshing to learn about life from his point of view. (teenage boys are gross and weird, but I don’t let that show on my face! I am stoic..I am strong!) It’s even more weird to see him as a small man rather than my little boy. I struggle with that concept everyday!! I will continue to adapt and find ways to connect, teach, and listen to my boys. Every time they want something from me I tell them I will do it if they will have a serious talk with me. It worked one time. The barter was for a video game and my step-son was a trooper through my speech and totally engaged with me in the conversation. He was happy with the video game and I felt like an accomplished parent having spoke immense wisdom into his life! That’s called a “win, win” folks! I say all of this to say, DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET THROUGH TO THEM. The world plays a ruthless game with our children. I will go to endless lengths to make sure they know what they need to know, have confidence in themselves, and are prepared for life as much as possible.
PS. Make sure and have some fun while doing it!
Until next time…. Amanda C
blendedfirstfamily 