teenagers :: i have two of them :: in my house for just a few more years ::
maddie will be 17 in less than two months :: isaac is 15 going on 16 :: they both have their drivers license :: they are both making some long-term plans and goals :: they are both such cool people ::
this morning, i came across something i wrote last year, and i wanted to do a bit of an update, and share it again ::
i read a thing written to mamas of littles about learning your kiddos and liking them and enjoying them and playing with them and hugging and snuggling and really seeing them.
and it got me thinking about how i have really enjoyed getting to know my kids in each stage of their lives.
and now i am thinking about momming teenagers ::
when they are teenagers, make the cookies 🍪 that they and their friends will devour as fast as you take them off the pan.
keep mac-n-cheese and ramen 🍜 in the cupboard because they like it (even if it is trash food and you really want them to love green beans and blueberries).
hug them whenever they'll hug you 🥰.
lay on their bed and talk a little and *listen a lot*.
watch them play the video game 🎮.
watch stupid videos on youtube or instagram or snapchat 📲and laugh your head off 😂😂,
say yes to helping five girls dye blue streaks 😱 in their hair - at 10 pm, so the final washout happens at 11:45 😴 and you still have blue stains on some of your fingers the next day 💙.
be in the goofy snap selfie 📱💁🏽♀️🙅🙆♂️.
invite all the friends to your house and let there be beads on the living room floor and mac-n-cheese left in the pan on the stove and clothes in the living room and hung over the kitchen chair and hair ties and hair brushes everywhere 🎉🎇💣. because another time, the friends might all stay over and leave a very clean kitchen and very tidy spaces 🦋🍶🛋.
sleep is overrated.
listen all the minutes longer about the boy 💗 or the girl 💖, about the workout 🏋🏼♀️ or the practice 🏐🏈, about the coach or the boss, about the movie 📽 or the tv show 🖥, about a memory or a wish ✨.
listen.
be in their space. let them into your space.
share the sweatshirt, share the shoes, share the jacket.
as often as possible, do the chore together 👯♀️💃🏻🕺🏼rather than assigning the chore and walking away. doing dishes and cleaning up a kitchen is really funny with a teenage boy 😂🤣 (and if you do it with him, it will get done to your standards 💁🏽♀️).
don't expect them to act in a way that you have never modeled or outright explained to them. they're smart, but they can't read your mind.
remind them often that they are wonderful 🎆 and amazing 🌟.
tell them they are your favorite.
choose them over and over 💫💕.
and those wet towels on the floor and the bed? 🛏🧺 just pick them up, shake them out, hang them up, shake your head, and smile.
that goes for the empty dishes and cups on nightstands and footstools and counters, too 🥤🥣.
be so, so grateful if those are the biggest messes you are cleaning up.
hug your big kids. you should. definitely. today. ❤️❤️