From Toddlers to Teenagers…The Importance Of A Mother

When that baby is first laid in your arms, the fact that you are a mother became a reality. You were one before that. The hard work of growing a baby in your womb for 9 months gave you that right. The second you saw that positive pregnancy test changed your status over to mother.

(Keep reading to the end for a super special giveaway!)

You gaze at your newborn baby and have all sorts of hopes and dreams. That first year goes slowly as you adjust to being a mother and sometimes you wonder if that baby will ever learn the next new thing.

And then suddenly, out of nowhere, that baby is a teenager and driving.

Somehow that transformation from baby to teenager happens way faster than you thought it would, even though the years in-between dragged on and on.

I know, because I’m here experiencing all of this.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m beyond happy that our oldest is 16 and turning into a young man. That’s the whole point of raising up a child, so they can grow up and go out into the world and do as much good as they can for the Lord.

I wanted to share probably the biggest thing I’ve learned over the years. It’s so simple and yet so profound.

From toddler to teenager, your importance as a mother does not change. How you mother will change, but the need for you to be present in your child’s life at 16 is just as important as it was when they were 2.

Right now we are facing huge life changing decisions. We are facing issues such as should we do dual enrollment classes this fall? Will that be online classes or at a local college? How much should he work this summer? What is his career going to look like (and the wrestle between what he thinks it should be at 16 versus the direction we feel like he might like long term).

As you emotionally invest and pour yourself into hours of conversation with your teenage child, you also have to remind yourself that you are slowly letting this child go. In just a few short years I can’t sit this child down and lecture them in the same way. I am raising a man, not a boy. I want this child to be fully equipped at 18 to know how to start navigating real life. This doesn’t mean we want him moving out of the house at 18, but we want him to be mature and ready to do grown up things, not sitting in our basement playing video games all day long.

What does mothering a teenager look like?

It means staying up late to talk to them, because they have pressing questions or exciting things happening to them that they want to talk about.

Watching them go off to work for the day, which is a good way to adjust to the fact that in a few short years they will either be in college full time or working full time.

Carefully planning the last few years of their homeschool experience, to get in the very best you can possibly give them.

Requiring them to be present for morning time, and then knowing they are off to do a lot of their own school work throughout the day.

It means disagreements, talking through what is required of them, compromises and being able to give each other hugs at the end of each day.

Parenting a teenager means you are still the parent. You try to work with the teen, see their point of view, but ultimately if you don’t feel something is best for them to do, you put your foot down and say no. It doesn’t mean you stop parenting and let them do whatever they want just because they are 16.

It means praying more and praying harder.

While parenting a teenager is work, I also find it to be loads of fun! You can have discussions that are adult level, dream with them, and listen to them open up their heart and share stuff with you that is deeply personal. It’s so rewarding, and honestly one of my favorite seasons of parenting so far!

Despite everything going on in the world right now, Mother’s Day is still coming up! I’m hoping you have a chance to feel extra loved and special on that day, and I have an extra special giveaway for you to enter!

I’ve gotten together with 24 amazing bloggers with the hope of blessing FIVE moms this Mother’s Day (although we wish we could bless many more) with a little extra gift.

We are giving away 5 $100 gift cards to the place of your choice, from the following options:

• Hobby Lobby
• Christianbook.com
• Restaurant of choice
• Grocery store of choice
• Lehman’s

It’s our hope that you are blessed beyond measure during this Mother’s Day unlike any other.  May this be a time of new experiences, new traditions, and new peace.

To enter for your chance to win, simply use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. Now I know that is quite a few entries, but each of these bloggers generously chipped in their own money to bring you this giveaway, so I hope you will take the time to do all of the entries; it will bless them in return. And hey, the more entries you do, the better your odds are at winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway end May 8th at 11:59pm EDT.  The winner will have 48 hours to respond to email to claim the prize. By entering this giveaway you will be added to the email lists of the participating bloggers. Please be sure to read the Terms & Conditions upon entering the giveaway.

Want another opportunity to win?!  There is a second giveaway with the same exact prizes (just different bloggers) that you can enter as well!