Mothering A Teenager

My daughter is twelve and technically not a teenager, but I don’t think being a teenager really starts the day they turn thirteen. I knew being a mother to a teenager would be hard, this is common knowledge. But she’s only just barely a teenager and it’s already so freakin’ hard!

My daughter is a very loving, smart and beautiful human. She is creative and inventive in ways I didn’t expect. But she’s also quite sneaky and I’m catching her in more and more lies. I struggle with knowing which battles to choose. I was prepared to care for young kids. I spent time thinking about what kind of mother I wanted to be. Just hadn’t spent time thinking about how to be a mom to a teenager in a world that is so different from when I was a teenager... Where do I draw the line? Which punishment is most effective? How do I make sure the rules are followed and at the same time make her feel she can trust me with anything?

The more I think about this the more confused I become. But it’s too late to opt out, parenthood is for life. I guess I just have to accept we are not the Gilmore Girls and I will just have to figure this out as I go.

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