What do you do when you have done all you know to do? When you have given your very best in parenting but it seems like everything comes back to slap you?
Lately it seems all I am hearing are stories about people either I know of or know personally who are going through very troubling times with their teens. I guess what has made it all the more disheartening is that these are teens that have been raised in the church, so they have been taught a certain standard.
I realize church doesn’t save a teen from doing destructive things. But you do tend to think that parents, who implement faith or good morals no matter what the background, will fare better.
Besides Christianity, there are lots of other religions that teach certain values. And there are homes that may not practice any religion but have done a great job instilling morals in their children. Having a value system that is built on good things would seem to be the key. But that isn’t always the case.
There have been times when something has happened in my home and I have questioned why…why do teens make choices when they know better? Do they not understand the potential repercussions? Do they not realize they will more than likely get caught? Has any of the teaching they received really made a difference?
It can be easy as a parent of a teen to get frustrated. If it’s not the stuff you actually catch your teen doing, then you are wondering about the things they have maybe gotten away with.
After all, I would guess that if most of us were to be honest with ourselves…we did a lot of stupid stuff when we were teens. We went against some of the values and morals our parents taught us—perhaps some of us more than others. So we know the game.
But still, when you are on the opposing team of the game it can be frustrating. I guess all I can say to myself and to other parents of teens is to keep playing…don’t give up. There is an end in sight.
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Photo by Dan4th in Flickr