Having a hard time parenting teenagers? One mom thinks she found the sweet spots of teenagers, which can be the key to a successful teen parenting. For this mom, rearing teenagers is enjoyable, in contrary to popular beliefs that such can cause headaches and stress.
Many parents have attested the difficulty and struggle that comes with parenting teenagers. However, one mom breaks the trend. In fact, raising an early teen and a twin has become her favorite stage of parenting. Perhaps this is because she has found the sweet spots of her teenagers.
Christine Burke is a mom of two teenagers. She admitted that parenting them can be incredibly expensive and maddening. However, things change quickly that it has suddenly become her favorite phase of parenting. She said she enjoyed the special moments that come with spending time with her kids who are becoming adults.
For Burke, life with teenagers is so physically easier. This is because teens can somehow manage their lives on their own like they can showering by themselves, tie their shoes and can even make sandwich or snack on their own.
With teenagers around, Burke realized that she no longer had to be solely responsible for emptying the dishwasher. Gone are the days when the sounds of toys, shouting and temper tantrums always fill the house. Most importantly sleepless and tiring nights are over.
Now that all her children are growing, she has become very much available to them. Dr. John Duffy, an author and psychologist, said in PsychCentral that this parenting style is known as "available parenting," which means parenting "less from a position of fear, judgment and ego, and more from a place of calm, connectedness and acceptance."
In Scary Mommy, Burke wrote that more relaxed bedtime routines and years of fine-tuning her parenting have found her more willing to spend quality time with her teens and listen to the tales of their days. Sharing herself and exposing her teens to culture and art has made her relish being a parent.
