Teenagers so often get a bad rap. I mean, seriously… every time you read an article, listen to the media or sometimes even chat with parents, all you ever hear are horror stories about how ungrateful they are, that they’re lazy, entitled or selfish.
There’s no denying that quite often the teen years are the toughest, but they’re also the most rewarding. It’s a time when our parenting skills are put to the test, when we learn the true meaning of forgiveness and unconditional love, when we begin to see the fruits of our labor and, when we’ve made it through the storm, we look back and realize that every single exhausting and exhilarating moment was worth it.
Whether your kids are young teenagers or you’re in the thick of raising older teens, here are 50 reasons why every parent should slow down just a bit and love the absolute heck out of their teenager.
1. They Sleep Like There’s No Tomorrow
Ahhh… glorious sleep. For the first time in over a decade, you actually get to sleep! No more endless nights trying to get them to bed (and stay in bed), reading them their favorite book eight times or them sneaking into your bed at 2 a.m.
2. They’re Really Funny (When They Want to Be)
Suddenly, a sense of humor appears out of nowhere. They’re human, they laugh, and sometimes they think we’re actually funny, too!
3. You Can Have a Conversation with Them
Between the heavy sighs and eye rolls, every once in a while you get to have a meaningful conversation that makes you realize you really are raising an amazing kid.
4. You Don’t Have to Entertain Them
They hang out in their room, watch Netflix for hours, leave the house and come back nine hours later… now, we just need to figure out how to get them to actually spend some time with us.
5. They Can Dress Themselves
One of the biggest perks of all… they dress themselves. Now, all we need to do is put a sign in their bathroom reminding them to wear deodorant and we’ll be good.
6. They’re Capable of Making Their Own Money
Maybe now they can pitch in (or completely pay) for all those Amazon gadgets they order, spring for their own movie ticket or pay for the cute shirt our daughter just has to have.
7. They’re Adventurous
Most of the time they feel totally invincible, which is exactly why parents have so many gray hairs on their head and a few extra wrinkles on their forehead. Still, their adventurous spirit is contagious.
8. They Know How to Do Things We Don’t Have a Clue How to Do
Programming the TV remote, figuring out how Snapchat works, troubleshooting your computer when things go wrong – having a teenager in the house is like having free in-house tech support.
9. They Don’t Freak Out When You Swear
After swearing in your head for years, you can finally let it rip and rather than your kids totally freaking out, they look at you somewhat approvingly and say, “Geez, mom, I didn’t know you had it in ya.”
10. They Make Awesome Fashion Consultants
Teenagers (girls especially) make the best fashion consultants. You never have to worry about leaving the house in “mom jeans” or wearing a lipstick shade that’s “totally out.”
11. They View the World Through a Different Lens
They’ve ventured away from following in our footsteps and they begin to forge their own path with their owns views and their own perspective. They’re growing up.
12. Their True Personality Begins to Shine Through
Suddenly, you realize your teen is funny or insightful, or worldly or downright “deep.” They’re thinking their way through life and they’re beginning to share their thoughts with the world and it’s pretty cool!
13. They’re Still a Kid at Heart (Even If They Won’t Admit It)
Oh, they may act all tough and all, but they still love Disney and Mickey, backrubs and board games, and sprinklers and sparklers. They’re just too cool to admit it.
14. They Let You Have a Moment to Yourself
Remember, not too long ago when your kids wouldn’t give you a single moment to yourself? Well, all that has changed. (Umm… you can come back if you want to.)
15. When You Ask Them How You Look, They ALWAYS Tell the Truth
Teenagers, God love ’em, are brutally honest. The good news is, if you want an honest answer about how you look, they’ll cut it to you straight, like it or not.
16. They Keep You Young
Most of the time they keep you young. Other days, you feel like you’re aging in dog years.
17. They Can Drive Themselves
Enough said. Woohoo! (Although, now the “real” worry kicks in.)
18. You Can Take Them to a Restaurant and They Won’t Throw Food
On a rare occasion, they may still throw food, but it will only be at their brother or sister.
19. You Can Let Your Guard Down
Finally, you get to have a bad day, slow down when you desperately need a break and let the kids fend for themselves. It’s liberating!
20. They Can Feed Themselves
Now, all we have to do is teach them to pick up their plate and put it in the dishwasher.
21. They Make Awesome Babysitters
Teenagers make great babysitters, petsitters and plant sitters. (If they’re so diligent in those areas, how come they can’t keep their room clean?)
22. They’re Smart (In Some Ways, Smarter Than Us)
Face it, our teens have surpassed us in everything from basic math to technology.
23. They’re Caught in the Chasm Between Childhood and Adulthood
One minute they’re playing with water balloons, the next they’re planning their future. They’re hanging on to their childhood with one hand and reaching for adulthood with the other, which is exactly why they need all the support we can give them.
24. They’re Fun to Be With
You can go out to lunch, take them to the movies, go to the mall or just hang out and they’re actually fun to be with.
25. They Totally “Get” Adult Humor
Finally.
26. They’ve Figured Out We’re Not Perfect and it’s a HUGE Relief
They kicked us off our parental pedestal and it’s a huge relief. Now we can just be “real.”
27. They’re Never Boring
Just when you think you have them all figured out, they throw you a curveball… again and again and again.
28. They Start Having an Opinion About Politics
Get ready for a serious debate. Teenagers these days are smart, well-informed and they have their own political opinions.
29. They’re Carefree
Yup. And, it’s totally contagious.
30. They’re Starting to Question the Universe and Everything In It
It used to be that they believed everything we said. Now, they question everything.
31. They Still Need Their Mom and Dad
They may act like they know everything and we know absolutely nothing, but deep down inside they need us. They just won’t admit it.
32. You Can Actually Reason with Them
Their ability to reason and assess situations with some sense of logic is slowing kicking in. Thank God.
33. They’re Filled with Hope for the Future
They have their entire lives ahead of them and even though they’re still a little clueless about what they actually want to do with their lives, they’re hopeful about their future, which gives us hope about their future.
34. They’re Curious
Curious about us, curious about their capabilities, curious about life, curious about the world.
35. They Teach You How to Be Cool
They don’t want us to embarrass them by what we wear, what we say or how we act, so suddenly they become our “cool counselors.”
36. They Still Giggle
A small reminder that the toddler in them lies just beneath the surface.
37. They’re Resilient
Teenagers are the most resilient people in the world. With a little support, understanding, and love they can overcome just about anything.
38. They Hold Us to a Higher Standard
Boy, do they ever. They view us less as parents and more as people, which means we don’t have a choice but to set a shining example.
39. They Begin to View the World with More Clarity
When you least expect it, they start spitting out complex thoughts and analogies. (Umm… where is my child and what have you done with him?)
40. They Realize That Their Voice Matters and That They Can Make a Difference
At some point, they figure out that they hold the power to make a difference, that their voice matters and that they want their voice to be heard. What a glorious revelation!
41. They Know the Words to Every “Happening” Song
They know every word in every lyric in every song. You never have to Google the words to a song ever again.
42. They Encourage You to Get in Shape
Little hints that might hurt at first get tossed in your lap. After you’re finished with all your self-pity and excuses why you’ve put on 15 pounds in the last few years, you start to realize maybe they’re right. We should take better care of ourselves.
43. You Don’t Have to Worry About the Easter Bunny, Santa, the Tooth Fairy or that Damn Elf
Need I say more? The best part of raising teens? That damn elf gets to stay on the shelf.
44. You Start to See the Fruits of Your Labor
There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing glimpses of the person they’re becoming. It’s what parents live for.
45. They are Strong, But So Fragile
They may act tough, but at times they’re as fragile as a kitten, which is exactly when we can move in for those rare snuggles we miss so much.
46. They’re Hell-Bent on Saving the Planet
They’ve grown up hearing about global warming, how the polar ice caps are melting and that recycling should be a way of life. They’re determined to save this planet for them, for their kids and for their grandkids. Now, that’s cool.
47. They Don’t Take “No” For An Answer
We might think this is totally annoying, but in reality, it’s pretty darn awesome! They’re asking questions, seeking the truth, and they’re not willing to take “because I said so,” for an answer.
48. They’re the Reason We Get Out of Bed Every Morning
They’re the reason we lose it and the reason we hold it together. Mostly, they’re the reason we get out of bed every single morning.
49. They Become Our Very Best Friend
Our friends, our confidantes, our loves, our legacy.
50. They Teach Us the True Meaning of Unconditional Love
Without our kids to teach us, we would never truly grasp the meaning of patience, forgiveness and deep unconditional love. They are our children, they are our world…