Teenager or Young Adult

Yesterday was the day that my boy anxiously awaited and his mother dreaded.  15 happened yesterday.

Now, I know that he has been a "teen" for a couple of years now, but 15 just seems like a bigger milestone.  Maybe each one is that way, and I forget from year to year.

15 is a difficult age in many ways.  Not old enough to get just any job, not old enough to drive, not old enough to handle some things on his own.  However, he is too old to stomp around the house, too old to hang with the little kids (for long periods of time, anyway), too old to "act like that".  Old enough to have thoughts, feelings and emotions, but not old enough to just spill them out.

15 seems to be even more "tween" than 12 was.

I remember that age and the awkwardness of it. 

We are attempting to train our Teen and our almost Tween.  Wow!

I am hard on them because I do not allow them to treat each other or others around them (including their parents) like "everyone else" does.

In fact, I am very aware that I am not training a Teen, a Tween, a son or a daughter.  They do a GREAT job fulfilling those roles. 

I am, in fact, training future citizens, future parents, future spouses.  The childhood home, in my beliefs, is the training ground for adulthood. 

I have to train them in the ways they speak to one another, ALWAYS.  Even on the bad and grumpy days. Just like they are being trained to learn, clean house, cook, do laundry, they have to be trained in how to related to others around them.  That doesn't always come naturally.

Hmmm, what we do naturally actually comes out of our nature, which I believe is a sin nature.  We are suppose to all be learning to follow after the new nature given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ.  That means it is difficult to lay down our "naturally" and look beyond ourselves.

Diligence in seeking after the God of Love, day-by-day, is the only way our old nature dies and we actually learn to live in the new nature given to us as a gift.

That same training has to happen daily, all the time, for my sweet children.  To train them, first requires that Mom be disciplined.

15 years has sure gone quickly.  I hope the next several slow down a bit, but I don't see that happening.  I only have today.

What a precious adventure it has been!  I look forward to more!

I love you, Punkin!!