I’m Almost A Parent Of Teenagers

Starr on the left and Angel on the right (in pic with Cinderella) are gonna be 13 this weekend!

Unbelievable!

You know, I used to think that as a parent I wasn’t suppose to be my kids’ friend, but I was only suppose to be their parent until they became an adult at which time I could then start being their friend. The only problem was, I tried this approach for 9 years and it didn’t work for us.

I was legalistic and, although I never abused my girls, they felt more afraid in my “authoritative presence” than they felt comfortable around me. Not all the time, of course, but far too often.

Really, what was happening was I was treating my girls the same way I wrongly imagined God to be treating me. I was rarely comfortable in God’s presence and was almost constantly afraid of what He was thinking or how He was feeling about me.

But THANK GOD that by His grace, my view of God and my view of parenting changed; therefore, the past 4 years have been very different for my girls and I. The results have proven to me that it’s a very good thing to be both friend and parent to your kids. In fact, it’s worked so well for us that our girls absolutely LOVE spending time with us. It’s certainly not because we’re perfect parents, because, of course we’re not perfect.

We just all do life together. We’re a team. We love each other. We allow each other to be human…to fail. And we forgive…often.

What better time for a child to feel like they not only have a parent, but a really good friend whom they can lean on other than while they’re growing up and trying to navigate all the mazes that life brings!

I love my girls so much and I’m glad I’m not approaching the teenage years with negativity or afraid of having teenagers. Instead, I’m actually looking forward to it.  AND the best news is …we also get to spend eternity together!

If you have not yet made Jesus your Savior and received the wonderful joy that His finished work on the cross has provided for you to live in, please visit my page here titled Jesus In The Driver’s Seat. On this page I explain the good news of the gospel and you will have the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation, making Jesus your Savior! Jesus loves you and His arms are wide open!

Sandra McCollom