“Children are a heritage of the Lord,” right? We got that, sure. But what about those “terrible two’s” or “troubled teenagers”? Most parents can’t wait to rush them through these ages.
It’s funny. Wendy and I recall grinding our teeth over our first 2-year-olds and our first batch of teenagers. The temper tantrums (from the 2-year-olds) and the temper tantrums (from the teenagers) got under our skins, annoyed and appalled us. Two-year-olds were expected to act more like 5-year-olds, and teenagers should “act their age” (meaning 19 or 20). Our parenting was put on autopilot, “just get through this phase.”
Call it old age. We now love 2-year-olds and teenagers. Sure, we have to stop and handle the crabby toddler, explain a thing or two, perhaps correct firmly to teach proper behavior. Teenagers may require a late-night talk over details in their life—even when we’re tired, even when we know these details have much more to do with emotions than reality.
But these annoyances aren’t annoying anymore. These are parenting moments that draw us closer together. These are opportunities to love one another, listen and encourage one another.
Here’s the picture that got this idea rolling. Take a good look at it; it speaks a thousand words:
Isaiah (13), Lydia (15), Noah (10) and Micah (12) spent literally an hour clicking the Macbook’s webcam over and over again trying to get the right take. Jumping up and down like a bunch of court jesters, laughing and joking, collaborating and strategizing. “Let’s get it right this time!” for the umpteenth time.
I’ve got this picture on my cell phone, on my computer desktop, and now on our Web site. I love it. It reminds me of the joy of this age. It’ll be gone before we know it, they’ll be back on the ground, living mature lives of adulthood. They won’t be this age forever, which is a good thing, but oh Lord, help me not rush them out of it.
About Chris & Wendy Jeub
