Monday, October 5, 2009

Freedom! To Have or Not To Have!

I couldn't help but to recall my own real life story of a teens fight for freedom.
(previous post shares some about what I was thinking about!

Here is our story where parent and teen walk in a constant tug and pull relationship:
Mom and teen are going out for the afternoon. Teen will soon be traveling to visit a friend in another state and we wanted to make sure she was ready.

Before we head out to run errands I announce we will be going by the bank and does she have her checks and deposit slips.

"Yes" she says.

Because I was beginning to learn how teens function I decide to clarify one more time what she needed to have with her. (experience told me she most likely would confess at the time we drive into the bank that she did not bring her stuff)

I was wrong (only this time), she was prepared, PTL there is hope!

As we pull into the bank we park off to the side for a moment so she can fill out her deposit slip. As I ask if she knows what to do, she quickly responds,

"YES, Mom! I am NOT a child".
Okay, I was just asking.

Later, after several other things we needed to do, we pull over to walmart to use her debit card. Just getting her first debit card I wanted her to know what to do. We needed to activate it and I asked her to call while I sat there to help her. It was one question after another at WHY she had to do this. She didn't understand the reason I was making her. What was the purpose in this? To which I replied, she needed to learn how to do this in order to have any money traveling.

Her response,
"MOM! I am NOT an adult".

She threw her head back and rolled her eyes realizing the contradiction she had just stated within an hour of each other. I, on the other hand, was trying not to crack up!

So there you have it....the cross roads of being a teen. The fight for freedom and at the sametime not completely sure she was ready for it.

I am not a child! AND I am not an adult!

Let's say those two comments showed this mom that I needed to supply some extra grace during these years!

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