THURSDAY NOVEMBER 21
“When
I was a child…When I became a man.” 1 Co 13:11 NIV
GETTING
THEM FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADULTHOOD (1)
Do you sometimes wonder if your teenager is ever
going to reach maturity? Welcome to the toughest phase of parenting! A teenager
can go from optimism to pessimism, excitement to boredom, self-confidence to
self-doubt, happiness to despair, sociability to reclusiveness, tranquility to
volatility, cooperation to opposition—in a head-spinning second! And when you
ask them, “What’s wrong?” they say, “Nothing,” or, “I don’t know.” And the
truth is, they don’t! Bombarded by changing biochemistry, your child is
navigating between the worlds of childhood and adulthood, needing your
understanding and patience. For them the odyssey of adolescence can feel
freakish, embarrassing and perplexing. Children know the roles and rules of
their world, adults know theirs. Children are expected to act like children,
and adults like adults. But teenagers have traits of both worlds, yet belong in
neither. When they’re in child-mode, they’re forbidden to be childish. “Will
you ever grow up?” We ask. When they’re in adult-mode, they’re denied adult privileges.
“Of course you can’t…You’re just a kid! “ The worlds of adults and children are
relatively distinct, stable, predictable places. But it’s not so in the fuzzy
realm of your teen. They alternate between two worlds, never certain whether
they’re fish or fowl, adult or child. So they gravitate toward peers who share
but also don’t understand their experiences. What do they need? Parents who
understand and assure them, “When I was a child, I spoke…understood…thought as
a child, like you do. But when I became a man [or woman] I outgrew the
confusion, and you will too.”
Taken
from the Word for you Today devotional
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