Relationships are difficult at times…..teen relationships are even more difficult. One thing I have learned is that teens want your time more than you could ever know. They seem to push parents away but they crave our time and approval.
I recently lead a family retreat for our church and we covered Dr. Chapman’s love languages. We had breakout sessions with various age groups and I led the group of teens. I wasn’t sure how this was going to go because teens seem to hate to talk in front of adults. Well, I was wrong and I learned that every single teen really just wants time with you, their parent. Yes, it was enlightening to me as a parent of 2 teens and a pre-teen. My kids seem to be annoyed with me and even embarrassed by me. Can you believe they are embarrassed by ME? As we took turns discussing what our love languages were and what was most important to us each and every single teen said they wished they had more one on one time with their parents. Wow! I was amazed. It doesn’t need to be much. Take your teen to the coffee drive through on your way to dropping them off at school. Listen to them and ask a few thought provoking questions like “what is your hope for this school year.”
Do not doubt that you are making a difference in your teen’s life. Everything you say, everything you do they really notice. That is a lot of pressure right? Well take it as an honor and privilege to have God’s trust in raising some of the most amazing people you will ever know.
Thank you for the reminder that you can make a big impact on your kids, even if it’s in small bits of time. I’ve recently discovered Dutch Bro runs with my daughter are tiny little Starbursts in our week, and many great conversations took place in thise 20 minute breaks. Good for both of our souls!❤