10 Things I Want to Thank My Tween/Teen Kids For

It has been an emotional week and L-O-N-G.

What started with a beautiful Confirmation Service led into a number of days of State standardized testing. (Insert whatever slander or obscenities you need), as well as me having jury duty (can you say mentally exhausting! I totally feel for all of you that are court reporters!)

At the end of the week I feel it is time for reflection. So today I want to rave about my kids and here are,
Things I Want to Thank My Tween/Teen Kids For:

1. Thank you for wanting to learn about your religion. There are many kids that would not want to take 6 weeks out of baseball, or whatever competitive sport they were in, to go and sit in a group with people they don’t know to learn about “stuff” that is new to them. But that wasn’t you. In fact when it was all said and done. You thanked me and told me you wished it wasn’t over because you really enjoyed your group and mentors.

2. Thank you for realizing that sometimes it isn’t about you. That when there is more than one kid in the house, you may not be the one getting all the attention (or any). Thank you for being okay with that. I know it is hard.

3. Thank you for being flexible. When it is 7pm on a Tuesday and no dinner in sight thank you for the grace to fix your own dinner. Sometimes mommy and daddy are tired.

4. Thank you for realizing that even though 8:30pm sounds so EARLY for bedtime when you are 12 and 10 and all your friends stay up till who knows when, you go to bed with little argument. I know one day you will thank us for setting a bedtime. Right now your growing body and mind thank us!

5. Thank you for teaching each other. You may not realize it now but you kids are each others best teachers/mentors.

6. Thank you for helping with the daily tasks around the house. I know emptying the dishwasher daily and feeding the dogs get BORING but that is 2 tasks that daddy and I don’t have to do to keep the house running. I love that we are a team.

7. Thank you for FINALLY braving the neighborhood and making friends. I love hearing you say, “Can I go outside? So and So just came over!” This is so exciting to me because some of my best memories are from playing with my neighborhood friends.

8. Thank you for trying your hardest in everything you do. This week has been a tough one and I know without a doubt 110% was put in by you.

9. Thank you for loving your brother. Even when he is hard to love, he is and will always be your only brother and #1 fan.

10. Thank you for loving me and your daddy. We know at times we are hard to love, sometimes you are too. But we would trade the opportunity for the world. With each stage in your life, comes a more incredible chance for our love to grow. You make us extremely proud daily.