Been There Done That...

So I guess it was about a week ago that I was engaged in a conversation between a couple of adults and there were teens in the room.  The outcome was something like this...

As people who interact with teens on a regular basis (parents, teachers, youth leaders) we often find ourselves wanting to put our hands on those sweet little cheeks and look them in the eye and say, "you know, I have been there and done that".  The trouble of course, is, just like all adults that have come before us, and kids that have come before them...the reaction, we are sure, will be, "yeah, right"

The question I posed to myself earlier in the week (in the shower ~ yes my near teen will be mortified that I named my blog "thoughts from the shower") was are we REALLY sure?  This generation of youth is soooooo  (they spell like that) different from ours in so many ways... more technology, friends from near and far, multiple sports teams (its not just for school anymore) with all of these differences how can we be so sure that their reaction will indeed be the one we had when some adult really made us look at them and said, "it WILL be ok, I was there once myself (don't hurt, or don't make that particular mistake)."

The fact is, every adult was once a teen.  Admit it you have to go there to get here...  We thought about, and in some cases, did those things we KNEW our parents would "kill" us for if they "ever knew".  We all lived.  As adults many of us have discovered they also knew.  Thinking, acting or not acting on, those unacceptable thoughts is how we all became who we are.  They let us make those mistakes so we could grow....

Here's the circle I discovered...  The desire to squeeze the cheeks and rescue our teens from making mistakes, feeling the pain of an on again off again friendship, living.... We won't do it...  is it really because we know they will say "yeah, right" or because we love them and know in our heart of hearts that all of the stuff we want to save them from (and feel helpless because we can't) is what will make them who they are and will be?

There is certainly room for a lot more thoughts in the shower....