This is a picture of me and Chris when he was 6 months old. Since then I have had 5 more babies. I have been a mother for almost 15 years. Reflecting back on it, there is a lot that I've learned, a lot that I've relaxed on and realized that there is so much more I have yet to learn.
My two oldest are teenagers now and that brings a whole other level of parenting to the picture I never prepared myself for. Taking care of babies and little kids is one thing. Feeding, changing, bathing, etc. It's all very physically challenging. It is hard, believe me, running after toddlers and teaching young kids the difference between right wrong. Having so many kids at so many different ages, I'm still doing those things today. But, having teenagers is so very different.
I always thought, teenagers would be hell because of their mood swings and going through puberty. This was all I had been told from older parents. This is true but I, myself deal with frequent mood swings, so the moodiness doesn't get to me too much. It's helping them deal with life and growing up that seems to be the hardest. Peer pressure, especially living in a small town, is very real and very difficult to deal with for both them and me. It's not always to do something "bad", but just to do something because "everyone else" is. I want to teach my children to stand up for themselves and be proud of who they are because we are all different and blessed with different talents and personalities for a reason.
Growing up I was very different than those around me and can understand how they feel. They just want to fit in. They just want to be like everyone else. I want them to know that it's natural to want to fit in, but being yourself is the most important thing there is. I want them to know that I love them for who they are and hope that they can love themselves for who they are too. I have 4 more kids to become teenagers and I hope and pray that we can all get through this critical stage of teenage hood fairly well.
