I am SO glad I am not a teenager anymore

Can I just say that I am glad I am not a teenager anymore? The peer pressure, the insecurities, the raging hormones, the "me against the world" mentality. NO THANK YOU. I thought I knew it all at 18 and now that I look back, I am amazed at how little I did know and how much experience, knowledge, and confidence I have gained over the last 13 years.


While I don't want to stereotype all teenagers, a lot of them think they know more than they do, think they are stronger than they are, and think they have the world figured out. The truth is that you still have so much to learn at 18, and so many more life experiences to gain. Legally, you're an adult. Emotionally you're still a child. Stay a child, act like a child, and enjoy your youth. Hang out with friends, go to college, get a job, and have fun. There is plenty of time for acting like a grown up and leading an adult life. Once you enter into that world, there is no going back.

I am not saying be completely reckless. Take responsibility for your actions. Take ownership in your own life. Stop letting your Daddy/Mommy issues affect who you are. At some point we all have to decide what kind of person we want to be and what kind of life we want to have, and then make a conscious effort to reach our goals.

No matter what you have “been through” in your short existence; know that you are not ready for the responsibilities that come from being an adult. Just because you have babysat does not mean you are ready for your own children. Just because you basically raised yourself does not mean you are ready to be a wife/husband. I have pulled a tooth before but that does not qualify me to be a dentist.

Learn to love yourself and stop basing your self-worth on what others think of you. If you do what is right, act in good conscious, and follow God, you cannot go wrong. You will stumble, and you will fall, but you will get up again. The important thing is that you do not make the same mistakes twice. EVERY action has a consequence. Before acting think about if you are ready to pay the price. Always apologize, ask for forgiveness, and be sincere. In the end, we are judged on our actions and how we handled ourselves in the face of adversity.

At 18 I thought I had it figured out. I knew what I was going to do with my life, where I was going to be, and exactly how happy I was going to be. I thought by the time I was 30 I would be wealthy, have one child, travel a lot, and be in a happy, committed marriage. The reality is that I struggle financially, I am pregnant with my fourth child, I have never traveled, and I am recovering from a failed marriage. Were the goals I had at 18 stupid? NO. Unrealistic? Maybe. Would I change a thing? Absolutely not. Because I love where I am now. It is not easy, and there are a lot of tears, but I have the love of the three beautiful little boys and another baby on the way. If I never accomplish anything else in my life, I feel my life is complete.

Is this the life I pictured at 18? Of course not, but I am proud of where I am because I know that I acted in good faith, followed Jesus, and followed my heart to get where I am. I know that I will always be able to look at my children and tell them I did my best. Have I faltered, made mistakes, and done other things that I am sure at some point will come up in their lives during a therapy session? I am sure I have. Did I do any of it on purpose? No way! In the last couple months I have experienced more pain than I thought was physically possible to bear, but minute by minute, hour by hour, I push through, because my life is no longer about what I want or need, it is about my children. They are my first thought in EVERY decision I make.

What I am getting at is while the law may consider you an adult, LIFE does not. Be a kid. Learn. Play. Grow. Experience. LIVE. Do what your heart tells you, but be safe. Do not let your issues affect others’ lives! Because one lesson you have not learned (and I can guarantee you that you do not want to learn) is how strong, determined, motivated, and aggressive a mother can be when the livelihood of her children is threatened. I will do anything to protect my children from anyone or anything I feel is not good for them. That is my job. That is what being a grown up is about. So go watch Jersey Shore, go to a party (Don’t drink and drive) flirt with teenage boys, go to the mall, and have fun. But make no mistake when your “fun” crosses over into my life, I will not sit idly by and watch you destroy your life and try to destroy the well being of my children. Do not mistake my kindness and willingness to forgive for being weak, because you have NO IDEA just how strong I can be.

"And God spoke all these words, saying: 'I am the LORD your God…

ONE: 'You shall have no other gods before Me.'

TWO: 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image.'

THREE: 'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.'

FOUR: 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.'

FIVE: 'Honor your father and your mother.'

SIX: 'You shall not murder.'

SEVEN: 'You shall not commit adultery.'

EIGHT: 'You shall not steal.'

NINE: 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.'

TEN: 'You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife