Teenagers

As my friend recently said, teenagers get a bad rap.  Yes, this is a tough age for them and their parents for sure, but they can also be pretty enjoyable.  When I visited my sister in Utah, I was able to spend some time with her teenagers, and I just love them.  I really do.  Not just because they are my nieces and nephews, but I love their sarcasm and even their moody, honest comments.

Well, for the past few weeks, we have had a teenager living with us.  It's a long story, but he is from our ward at church.  I admit it hasn't been exactly perfect (at least one really teenager-ish experience comes to mind), but I have actually enjoyed it!

Now this is a good kid for sure.  He's made choices that he shouldn't have made (haven't we all), and he will still be a teenager making these choices for awhile, but the good moments do outweigh the bad.  Just like with my little 1 and 3 year old rascals...  During rough moments, I can get so frustrated and think, "There's no way I could handle another baby!"  But then there are those great moments when I think how great it would be to add a sweet little baby into this mix of personalities!  Truly, those wonderful moments outweigh the frustrating ones.

And although this teenager has definitely helped give me opportunities to practice forgiving, having him here has actually helped me to really control my emotions and not get too angry at my kids.  It seems that if there isn't somebody watching I yell more, so having him around makes me realize that I am capable of speaking more calmly to my children, even during those "pull my hair out" moments.

Children are such a gift from our Heavenly Father no matter how old they are.  I am so grateful for my two little munchkins - and I really am grateful for the teenager that has joined our family.  They entertain me, keep me very busy, and bring a smile to my face everyday.