What’s it like parenting teens?
I’ve got two of them right now, and so far, so good. I’m hoping we stay liking each other over the next 5-7 years, as I hear these years can be rough.
They say the golden years are from 4-12, when they are old enough to listen and understand consequences and still think you know it all and are the best.
At our house, we are practicing every day. That’s how I describe my parenting/ coaching and their learning/figuring-life-out-for-themselves processes. We are practicing. We are not perfect. We play and work hard and disagree and we make mistakes. And we start over again and again. And we forgive each other over and over and let go of anger as quickly as we can, never staying mad over night. We are learning. We are practicing. And so far, so good. I’ll check back in 5 years and see if we won!!
For now, I’ll keep practicing, learning, loving and enjoying these remarkable teens that live in my house.
Love this life. Love my teens. And the little one too. And the big one, of course!
here i am 
Adriana, keep up the good work! Your parenting comes from good foundation your parents gave you and Jeff’s parents have him. Go with your gut, be their parent, not their friend. Alexandria is almost 19, but still requires parenting and I remind her of that daily. Hannah is 16 and right in the middle. They need to remember that they DON’T know everything. We do a lot of talking in our house and being open and honest is a must. So far I am pretty happy with our girls. It hadn’t been easy, but I would say not hard either. It’s harder to watch them grow up and have to let go a bit…
Sent from my iPhone Carina Bowman
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Carina – Thank you so much for your advice. I love what you said about not being their friend, and parenting every day. That is what we’re doing too. I hold them accountable and have expectations of them. I’m hoping we continue to talk and learn and grow together and that they stay safe. I’m so glad that you’ve had a good experience. I’m ok with hard work… and thank you for the reminder. Love it. Keep it coming!! xo