Another year has come and gone. I mentioned in my blog, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” how 2012 had been one of my most difficult years as a parent.
Now I stand on the brink of yet another year, filled with anticipation of what is to come. While at one time I might have felt less sure of expecting the best, my daughter’s Facebook post on New Year’s Eve filled me with assurance.
You see, when it comes to parenting teens, you never know what can happen. You never know what event, what influence, what relationship can potentially change everything. Teens are unpredictable and so goes the life of being the parent of a teen.
So as it neared the stroke of midnight, with my teens nowhere in sight (one was at a friend’s house, one was taking advantage of playing video games into the wee hours and the other was on the computer), I saw on my phone that I had been tagged in a post. It made me especially curious since it was my daughter.
Turns out her posting was about thanking five people as she goes into the New Year. I was at the top of the list. She expressed how much I mean to her, which quite honestly was shocking enough that she would admit it on social media.
But it was something else she said that really struck me; how I do everything I can to keep her and her brothers safe. Wow.
Just when you think they don’t get it. I was sure that my teens don’t understand why I set boundaries and limits. Apparently she can at least recognize that the heart of what I do is to keep them safe.
I needed this. So often you parent and have no idea if what you are doing is making a difference. It can sometimes take years before you see the fruits of your labor.
I guess what this tells me is that our teens probably understand more than they let on. Deep down they know when a parent truly has their child’s best interests at heart.
Does this mean she won’t question my decisions? I hardly think so. But it at least assures me that perhaps I’m doing something right.