by Shannon Brendlinger

Created on: July 22, 2008

I was looking for a topic that was positive and here it is!
We all talk about how hard it is to raise a teenager. All the, they do this, they do that, blah blah blah.
Well, There are plenty wonderful things about having a teenager. I have a teenage daughter who will be fifteen 8/21. Where do I start on how wonderful she is?
First, since she is the oldest of my four children, she can help out a lot with them. She watches them when my husband and I go out or when I have an appointment. She will also watch them when I want to go to the store by myself. She is great with them and is willing to take them to the pool or a friends house with her one at a time. She helps to get them breakfast or lunch. She is great in calming them down when they are upset. They look up to her!

Thats only chipping the ice on how wonderful it is to have a teenager at home.
Teenagers are very aware of what is going on in the household and some will do what they can to smooth things out. My daughter sometimes acts as a mediator between me and my husband when we are fighting. We tell her she don't have to do it but she insist. She does not let the fight bother her, most of the time she tells us how ridiculous we are acting! She opens our eyes sometimes that wise girl.
Teenagers are at an age between childhood and adulthood. There understanding is getting sharper and you can hold great conversations with them. They don't need as much direction anymore and do most things on their own. While the younger ones still depend on mom and dad, teenagers are making their own minds up and deciding what is best for them. They don't need their hands held anymore.They are getting ready to be out on their own.
Having a teenager can give a parent a good buddy to hang out with and talk to. My daughter and I are the best of friends and we do a lot together. She comes with me almost everywhere I go and brings her own friends with. Some parent's may not have this but they can get it.
She goes to the grocery store with me and helps me get what we need. She will go to a doctors appointment with me.
We have fun and talk about things that are going on in each others lives. We listen to music and dance and be silly. She has opened my eyes up to new things and always has a sense of wonder that she shares with me. She loves to dance and sing and is great cheerleader for her high school. I can't wait to go to her games and watch anything she enjoys doing.
I love thinking about how great her future will be and try to focus on the positive things that are leading her there.
All teenagers are different and some may give us more problems than others but there is always something wonderful about them if you just try and see. It could be how they are with their siblings.It could be how they save money or how wise they are with their money. Maybe your son is a great skate boarder or writes awesome music. That teenage girl might be a great friend or has a lovely singing voice. They might have a good organizational skills and keep their room sparkling. He or she could do real good in a certain subject or just great in school all together. The list can go on and on.
Find what is wonderful about your teen and focus on it. Talk about it, participate in it,give praise about it. Love your teen for who they are even if it gets hard. Focus on all the small wonderful things and the hard parts about parenting a teen wont seem so not wonderful!

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