Boys to Men

Alright, so the day has come. My boys, William and Jack, are officially teenagers.  I know, I know, they both hit 13 years ago, but they weren't very "teenager-y" until just recently.  Yeah.... I am not really ready for this.  They are great kids, both are smart, and pretty responsible.  I trust them.  I have never hidden or left unexpressed, my feelings about teen sex, alcohol consumption, or drug use.  They definitely know where I stand on those issues.

Here is my quandary. While it was a long time ago, I do remember my own teenage years.  I remember the  temptations I faced, and the choices I made.  I was a great kid too, smart, nice, polite. You get where I am going with this.  I don't want my boys to make choices that could put them in danger, any kind of danger, physical, emotional, spiritual, or legal.  I know you can't protect your kids from everything.  There comes a point when you have to trust that they will remember what you have taught them, and let them walk or fall.

I have a really strong faith  This faith, was hard won.  I put myself in many, many, dangerous situations between the ages of about 15-25.  Then God brought me Jeff, and life started to change. I could imagine myself married to him, being a good and faithful wife.  The day I gave birth to William, was the first time that I realized, that God had protected me, from myself all these years, because he had his own plans for my life.

My kids have been brought up knowing the Lord.  They are part of a community of believers. If anyone in my Church family, saw, or knew that any of my kids was in danger,  I could count on them to rally and protect.  I think my kids would feel like they could reach out to any of them for help.  I am open and honest with my kids, and I believe that they know that they can come to me with anything.   This is an interesting time.  My boys, are turning into men.  I have to trust that they will be the kind of men I raised them to be. Sheesh, who knew it would be so hard???