What's the Point?
(Our Rebellious Teens)

Joyce C. Lock
Reproduced with Permission

Point - I did it better than my parents.

Point - You did it better than your parents.

Point -ÊTeens do notÊcare about points. It makes no difference if you are the perfect parent. Adults getÊno recognition for whateverÊpartÊthey did right. In fact, because theÊteen feels controlled, they do notÊsee that anyone else did anything right.

They want to stop being treatedÊlike a child (even if they are acting like one). They want the freedom to make their own mistakes and they don't care that adults think they are mistakes. They want their choices toÊbe respected, because it is their choice,Êas one would respect choices of other adults; without trying to fix them. After all, they are almost 18 and are sick of being treated like anything less.

Point - In as much as we would like to help our 'almost adults' make adulthood choices, amidst their period of regression (where they are behaving more like a 12 year old), the power to control their destiny is not ours. There comes aÊpoint whereinÊthe only option leftÊis to let go and let God finish raising them. And in making the transition from parent to friend, we discoverÊour own need forÊgrowth; therebyÊrealizing God is not finished raising us, either.

Point - Once weÊacknowledge that our need to control is a result of fear for our children's future, consider that fear does not come from God, remember that we were once 'almost adults', too,Êand realize that God used our immaturity to grow us into a better person ... perhaps, then, we can trust God to protect them from irreversible harm and know He will be there to pick up the pieces for our children, too.

© 2004 by Joyce C. Lock
http://our.homewithgod.com/treeblooming/

Top