Click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click….
That’s the sound of the last 11 years as we’ve ridden the roller coaster up the first hill of the ride called “Parenting A Teen”. At this moment, we’re at the top, tipping over the first drop and holding on to the lap bar with white knuckles and smiles mixed with trepidation, exhilaration, and a touch of nausea.
Well, we’re the parents of an 11 year old girl. And as a youth pastor for lo these many years, I’ve watching thousands of teens step through the door of pre-adolescence. But few people understand that that first step usually means that they turn in most of their brain function and trade it for strides toward self-identification, social acceptance, and overall funky malaise.
Today is class picture day at our (pre-teen) daughter’s school. Remember those days? And today’s drama was focused on white pants that her Mom wanted her to wear vs. the green pants SHE wanted to wear. She wore the white pants with a scowl. Should make for a lovely class picture!
An no amount of rational thought coming from us could penetrate the steel fortress of a pre-teen brain. It’s just too unplugged.
Just a couple of days ago, Merritt (my wife) called from the other room after observing Madison’s suddenly erratic behavior–and said, “Our daughter just turned into a teenager!” No joke, I’ve seen things happen in the pre-teen years, where it’s as if somebody literally reached in and flipped a switch on the inside wall of their skull; the switch that reads “polite” on one side and “psychopath” on the other.
Ah, the joys of parenting.