Let's be real. Let's keep it 100%. Raising teens is H.A.R.D. No joke. Toddlers and teens are the hardest. In a twist of pure irony, right now I am raising BOTH. The joke is on me, I suppose! HAHA! These are my confessions. My teen daughter isn't perfect. She got herself in to some BIG TROUBLE a couple of weekends ago.
She's GORGEOUS...she's smart..and she's HILARIOUS but just like any other teen she is very capable of making poor choices and SHE DID! I'm not talking about the kind where she talked back to me or she is failing a class or she didn't do her chores. I mean, I was thanking GOD that she didn't end up missing or dead after what she did. That was how bad this choice was. SO....she is grounded. Until..... Yep... Until... PERIOD....
She has been "re-directed". No more social media. No leaving the house. Spend time with your family and that is all you are allowed to do type of grounding for the foreseeable future. My oldest son says to me "Mom, her problem is she doesn't have a hobby. She needs a hobby." So, that got me thinking. He was RIGHT! She had gotten so caught up in her phone and tablet that she hadn't done anything she used to love to do (such as crafting) in FOREVER!
Social media is a blessing. It can also be a curse. I sit her down and have a conversation with her and tell her how concerned I am that she doesn't do anything she used to love to do anymore and I want her to pick up a hobby again. The next thing I know, Vivian has talked my husband in to taking her to Home Depot for gardening supplies. She has decided to start a garden.
This is just the start!
So far, she has planted cilantro, tomatoes, peppers, and watermelon. She has big plans for the back yard. I couldn't be happier. She even enlisted little brother to help her! As I sit here typing this she and her brother have been out back for a couple of hours now. Working on the latest plants she talked Dad in to taking her to get.
I can't wait to see where this goes and I am perfectly willing to let the kids tear up my yard to keep them busy doing something that's good for them!
If I can give parent's of teens any advice right now it would be, don't be afraid to "re-direct" them. No matter how much "lip" they give you. Raising teens...wow....what a roller coaster. That's all I got!!
