Parenting Teenagers: Navigating the Unknown
Your kids will grow up one day. New parents, buckle up. The journey ahead is as exhilarating as it is unpredictable.
I still remember the first time I stepped off a plane in another country. Growing up in the American deep south, my understanding of the world was quite limited. Sure, I knew people in Germany spoke German—but standing in the Frankfurt Airport for the first time, surrounded by unfamiliar sounds and signs, I realized I didn’t truly know anything beyond the SC/GA state line. It was disorienting yet thrilling, a crash course in adaptation. Parenting teenagers has felt much the same—like landing in a foreign land without a guidebook.
When my children were babies, I knew the years would fly by. People warned me: "The nights are long, but the years are short." I believed them. Yet nothing could have prepared me for this stage—watching my babies transform into young adults. It’s like learning an entirely new language, one for which there are few manuals or road signs.
Image Credit: Unsplash ruedi häberli @ruehab
The Drunk Flamingo Phase
As someone who has read all the parenting books and even taught others about birth and childhood development, I thought I’d be ready for this chapter. Spoiler alert: I wasn’t. Parenting teenagers feels like being a drunk flamingo in a sea of poised penguins—wobbling on one leg, stretching my neck to figure out what everyone else is doing, and hoping to appear graceful despite the chaos.
How did we get here so fast? One moment, I was rocking them to sleep, soaking in that intoxicating newborn smell. The next, they’re planning their own adventures and asserting independence in ways that leave me both proud and heartbroken.
Last year, I dreamed of shared adventures—shopping for prom outfits, taking graduation photos, and enjoying gap-year breakfasts together. Instead, I’m living in Crazyville. They’d rather be anywhere but home (understandable—but unexpected), traveling and hanging out with friends instead of their “old mom and dad.” And shopping? Forget it. They want cash to craft their own style—a relief, really, since my minimalist wardrobe would make us look like the Addams Family if left unchecked.
Bittersweet Transitions
At the end of the day, my kids are good humans—kind, curious, and ready to explore the world. Isn’t that what we’ve always wanted for them? Still, it’s bittersweet. The transition to young adulthood happened so fast that it feels like someone hit fast-forward on our favorite song just as we started dancing.
I knew they’d grow up—I just didn’t know. And now here we are: navigating this uncharted territory with no clear signage or instructions.
Watching them swim confidently into adulthood is everything I hoped for—and yet it leaves me standing on the shore, marveling at how far they’ve come.
Image Credit: Kelly Sikkema @kellysikkema
