One of the things my 13-year-old daughter and I like to do is watch television together. There are some shows that we call “our show.” Shows like “Cake Boss” and “Wife Swap” are some of our favorites. But we also enjoy “Supernanny,” so we were really excited when the new season began last Friday.
While the families who have little children are always interesting, I tend to prefer the ones where there are teens involved. I remember thinking back when the show first began. “Let me see you tackle teenagers Miss Supernanny.” So when they finally had a family on with a teenager, I was very pleased.
After last week’s season premiere, I have been left to feel very fortunate. When we saw the terrible relationship that existed between the mom and teen, my daughter and I both felt bad for them. Every time the teenager cussed at her mom or smarted off, my daughter would just look at me and raise her eyebrows. I would raise mine back at her.
What my daughter was saying was, “Wow, I can’t believe she just talked to her mom like that” and I was saying, “Wow, I would never put up with that.” Granted, this family did have particular issues that had to be dealt with. It wasn’t as if the relationship started out that way. But it did remind me that maintenance is an important part of any relationship.
In thinking about my teens, it really does take a lot of maintenance to keep it going well. We can start off with a great relationship but if you don’t take care of it, it will go south. Too often we get comfortable with how things are and don’t bother to notice when things are beginning to go astray.
We have to be vigilant and make sure that our relationship with each other is on the right path. If something is not right, we have to address it right away. If we don’t and it’s left to fester, it will grow into something like what we saw on “Supernanny.”
Take time to maintain your relationship with your teen. It is the only way to keep it healthy and growing strong.
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