This is a sponsored post for the Center for Parent and Teen Communication. All opinions — and special memories — are my own!
THEN
I remember how you were so determined to stack blocks in a tower taller than you, how you’d start rebuilding immediately after the tower fell down, and you’d never give up until you got it right. In fact, you never quit at anything you tried until you got it right. I remember how you cried when your fancy birthday balloon flew away when you let go of its string, then waved and smiled as it blew away because it was pretty, and how you’d stand blowing on your pinwheel, entranced by the pattern it would make as it spun, standing so quietly that others were amazed by your peace.
NOW
You insist on teaching yourself how to play the guitar, trying the same notes over and over until the incredibly difficult song doesn’t sound like it comes from a newbie. You still have the same level of focused determination, not ever letting anything challenge you into quitting. Even when something doesn’t work out, you get back up and plan a new goal. You are able to work the problem until you have your own unique solution, when others might have given up, and your best friend made sure to tell me how much you helped him get through math class.
Time flies, and before we parents know it, our babies are teenagers, ready to take on the world. Looking back makes me teary, and this short video exemplifies the emotions of watching our kids become young adults!
The teen years can pose some parental challenges, and this article by Dr. Ken Ginsburg highlights the importance of looking back to our child’s early days to get the perspective needed to deal with the present situations. Remembering the “then,” seeing how they’ve grown and the positives that stick in your mind, helps with the now.
Visit the Center for Parent and Teen Communication website for more help navigating the teen years and enjoying your special relationship as the parent of a teenager! Pass along the video to your fellow moms and dads in the trenches so they can benefit from this valuable new resource, too.
If you had to make a Then and Now list, what memories would you share?
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