Don't be fooled

I have been a mother since 1989.  You relish in the birth of that squishy newborn and long forgotten are the labor pains and the friendly horror stories about childbirth from those more "experienced" parents in your lamaze class.  Parents can spot another parent from aisles away and make a b-line for you with helpful advice.  Now, granted, I did get some very good advice from lots of people.  I would rather do that then to sit down by myself with my nose in a book of an author telling me how to raise or what to look for in my children when they themselves have no children.  I always thought that was odd.  Like maybe they were those people who absolutely detested children and thought of ways to get those parents back by writing odd little books about things that may or may not happen putting those of paranoid parents in a tailspin when our child didn't achieve the developmental rites of passage to move them to the next stage of the book.

Always in my life were those who said, "just wait 'til they're teenagers, you'll see."  I was truly petrified by the thought of my children becoming these testosterone laden aliens that hated their mother.  I grieved.  I grieved so long that I think my first born was 15, well into his first few years of teenagedom before I realized that he was not your typical teenager that so many spoke about.  At one point all four boys were teenagers at the same time. (Yes, I know what causes that and yes, I know what I was thinking, but I won't tell you.)  Anyway, I love that my boys are teenagers.  I love that they love their family and most importantly, me, their mother.  I'm not always the popular one, the rule maker, the one who nags (w/e).  I was definitely NOT prepared for well behaved, God fearing, polite, fun, happy, laughing, sweet, gracious, mother-lovin' teenage boys!  

Why didn't anyone tell me?  Why would you keep this a secret?  I could've done so much less worrying about things as they approached the devilish hour of their 13th birthday.  Seriously though, I only winced with the first one expecting it to change over night and be as terrible as some had said.  When that didn't happen I just sat back and enjoyed what God had blessed me with, something I didn't deserve, mercy and grace abounding.  Since they are all so close together in age it all just happened so fast that they were all teenagers at once and I was amazingly happy.  Not just for me, although it is quite a perk, but for those who would enjoy being around them.  The grandparents, the aunts, the uncles, the cousins, the friends.  

I can't wait until my grandkids are here and I can tell them of the wonders that they have to look forward to in their teenagers.  I can only credit what we have to our passion for our God and our Savior Christ Jesus who have guided our hands in the raising of our boys, who have given us the divine permission to be the unpopular parents and follow our Christian values, even when it seems outrageously odd to the outside world.  I would've done anything (and I tried, too) to be popular in high school, but now I wouldn't change my nerdy parenting status for anything in this world.  My God is an awesome God and I believe in his healing powers of forgiveness, grace and mercy in my life and the life of my children.

Now, Sarah is 10.  My girl.  I can't wait!

I'm sure I've quoted this one before, but I love it so much that here it is again:

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 ESV “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. (5) You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (6) And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. (7) You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. (8) You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. (9) You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.