Teens and Trees

You know what's really hard about raising middle schoolers besides everything?

Not giving into the self-doubt that you as a parent are on the right parenting track.  There are times when you are walking that track shoulder to shoulder with other parents, other parents are way ahead of you, some parents are way behind you, and other parents are so far off the course you wonder if you should be doing it differently or if they bothered reading the directions to get to the course.

I really like my teenagers.  All in all, in spite of the struggles, and because of the good times, I have the privilege of seeing glimpses into the men they will become one day. I am blown away by their compassion, their humor, and their negotiating skills.

There are days that it feels like I am not doing enough to prepare for them the world or more accurately:  They think their father and I are doing our jobs a little to well to prepare them for the world.  Truthfully, it can be exhausting, but obviously necessary, to maintain consistent parenting standards.

One day, I was heart-weary in the way only parents can be of fighting the same battles, when I read this verse from Luke 6:43  "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit."  I stopped what I was doing and took a deep breath.  As I breathed, peace just filled my body.  I knew in my heart Rich and I are "good trees" and we're doing our very best to give our four "branches" the best resources at our disposal.   Those resources include our time, our faith, our family histories, and our community of friends to support their endeavors.  

I opened my eyes and I was still the parent of middle schoolers. There was no changing that fact. I, however, am more confident my husband and I are on the right path.