| My Sweet Thanksgiving Gift By Susan Farmer Home It was the day before Thanksgiving. A while back my daughter had turned 18 and left home to become independent. She had also had a falling out with her parents for a little while. But despite my sadness at her leaving and our falling out, I had been trying to meet with her a couple of times a week. She was living about a half an hour away and it was Wednesday morning, the day before Thanksgiving. We had agreed to meet early that morning, at six thirty a.m. And there I was, waiting at the appointed time, at the appointed place. Ten minutes later I was still waiting. I called her, but there was no answer, just a recording. Twenty minutes later I was still waiting and calling. But still no answer. Finally I called one of her friends and discovered she had indeed spent the night there. And finally, there she was, on the phone. "Thanks for telling me!" I said, upset. I had driven a half an hour, waited and waited, and she was a no show. Man, was I steaming mad. She said she was sorry, but it sounded like it was no big deal to her. And that whole way back home I was sad, angry and very disappointed. So, I decided to call her again and let her know how I felt. But when I called I was told she had already left for her class. Man, what a day. What a way to start the day. So finally home once again and still seething, I decided to turn on my computer. And then I checked my email. And there it was. An apology from my sweet, sweet daughter. Her apology here seemed heartfelt and sincere, and I instantly forgave her. As parents, trying to figure out and guide your teenager can sometimes seem so difficult and just so merciless. You can definately feel like you are pounding your head against a rock. If you are reading this article and are having trouble with one of your teens, just realize you are not alone. In fact in this post I am going to show you a few places you can go on the internet to read about other parents and their difficulties and solutions regarding relationships with their teenage children. (Besides just reading about my dysfunctional family). 1. http://lds.org. Then click on gospel library. On the next screen click on search gospel library. On the next screen a search screen will come up. Type in wayward child or wayward teen. Lots and lots of articles will come up that will give you lots of insight and parents sharing their experiences. 2. http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-psteens. Parents message board just looking for answers. 3. http://forums.familyeducation.com/topic/parenting /raising-teens. Another message board for Parents seeking help and solutions. 4. http://parentingteens.about.com/ Lots of articles here. 5. http://www.byparents-forparents.com/articles.html Lots of articles here too. At least these internet sites can let you know you are not alone with your struggles to raise a teenager, which I know by experience can be terribly rocky. And sometimes you can feel like a failure, humliated, beat up emotionally, and crying a lot. But the thing to remember is never give up. Sometimes when you don't know what to do inspiration can come in many ways. It can come from your Angels, from friends, from what you read, sometimes just what feels like the right thing to do. Just make sure your decisions are tempered by love, patience, and forgiveness. Oh what was my Thanksgiving gift? My sweet, difficult, loving daughter gave me a heartfelt apology. It was a great gift on the day before Thanksgiving. Warm wishes, Susan Farmer |