I have recently discovered something. Teens and toddlers really aren’t that much different. I came to this conclusion yesterday, Memorial Day. My 16-year-old son was in a parade with his Civil Air Patrol unit, so my husband shot some great video footage.
When we got home I wanted to right away transfer the video onto my computer so I could share it with family and friends on Facebook. Along with that video came a bunch of other transfers. My husband had apparently been working on our old videotapes, getting them onto our video camera so they could then be transferred onto DVDs.
Amongst the couple hundred of pictures and videos transferred onto my computer, was footage taken of my 16-year-old son when he was a toddler. I couldn’t resist sitting in front of my computer for a couple of hours watching him. Of course, the best part was seeing how small he was and all of his cute antics.
However I also began to see a pattern. Toddlers tend to be very selfish and think their world is all about them. I think many of us can agree that most teenagers tend to be the same way.
The difference is that when they were younger, you could sometimes look past it easier because they were just so darn cute. You could almost excuse them for not really knowing better. Now they are bigger, and even have mustaches, so the adorable factor isn’t really there anymore. And clearly, they also know better. That excuse can’t be used when you are 16 years old.
I thought about some of my reactions on the video I was watching. I was pretty passive, letting things slip by and constantly talking to him like he was the king of the world. I know that if I were to take that approach now, it would only feed into his selfishness. So I have to come up with a different approach.
In case you were thinking that I was just about to give you the answer, the specific approach I am going to take, I’m afraid that I will only disappoint you. I have yet to figure it out. It is something I am going to be on a search to discover. If any parents of teens have suggestions or thoughts, of course they are more than welcome.
Meanwhile I continue to stay buckled in for this ride and trust that just as my children made it through their toddler years; they will also make it through their teen years.
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