Parenting is like a roller coaster

Parenting is Like a Roller Coaster
When I was childless I envisioned family times like we had Saturday night. Ricky was baking chocolate chip cookies to take to church the next day, Ron was separating the materials for our second grade Sunday School class, and hubby was putting the final touches on a project. I flitted between each, helping as needed. Christmas music was softly playing and the tree was lit. The talk was pleasant and fun. I stopped for a moment and soaked in the pure joy of this family.

Then the roller coaster started its perilous descent. I learned from my niece that one son behaved extremely irresponsibly with repercussions not only to him but to classmates that must rely on him. His response to us was defensive, which only served to push our buttons. Voices were raised and his father "walked" him back to his room. (What do single mothers do with teenage boys? They respond so differently to males.) He spent the rest of the evening in his room, his TV and computer privileges are pulled, and he is on a very short leash until he can prove himself trustworthy.

A lot has been written recently about why people blog. My reasons have changed over the 2+ years I've been doing this. Now it is to help me maintain some perspective on parenting during these turbulent teens.