Miss Fifteen and I were having a bit of a conversation last night. During the course of this conversation, which I might add, included a few tears, I heard the words "you don't trust me - You're too over protective - they're not like that - I'm not like that - I'm smarter than that - that won't happen to me"
It took me back to my own teenage years because I know I uttered those words on many occasion.
It's not easy being a parent. Where is that line between being too strict and being too loose? And where are the instructions to tell you when that line changes? It's got to be different at every age!
So I gave Miss Fifteen the same words my mother told me... "Trust has to be earned, it's not a given right - I put restrictions because I care - when you're an adult with your own children, you'll understand"
but I know those words will be met with the same attitude that I gave when my mother spoke them to me.
I guess I haven't turned out too damaged so I have to hope that miss fifteen will also not hate me so much in a few years time...
Sure is tough being a parent to teenagers!
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1 comment:
Ahhh... to be a teenager again! It's always interesting to me how those responses are able to cross the cultural and generational barriers. I bet if we went back in time 500 years and were standing in the middle of Africa, we would hear the same things being said to a mother by her teenager.
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