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"Congratulations," said the doctor, "you have a healthy teenage boy (or girl)!"

"I have a WHAT?" I asked the doctor.

As the Nationwide Insurance commercial proclaims, "Life comes at you fast," and parents can find themselves quickly thrown into raising a teenager. The child you raised a year ago is now transitioning into adolescence, a time marked by many changes for all involved. Teens are exploring who they are, where they fit in life, and transitioning from dependence to independence. At the same time, parents may be struggling with changes occurring in their son or daughter, such as interests, rules, or behavior changes. Whether your teenager is transitioning smoothly into young adulthood or there seems to be many mountains, here are some reminders to help with the journey: (all scripture NASB)

God loves your teenager (and the parent).

Psalm 86:15: "But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and truth."

Jeremiah 31:3: "The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving-kindness."

God created your teenager (and you too).

Psalm 139:12-14: "For you formed my inward parts; you wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are your works, and my soul knows it very well."

Jeremiah 1:5: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations."

God made your teenager with his or her own personality, desires, and hobbies (you are not like anyone else).

2 Chronicles 34:2-3: "For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, the carved images and the molten images."

Ecclesiastes 11:9-10: "Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes, yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things. So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting."

God has a purpose and plan for your teenager (and for you).

Isaiah 49:1: "Listen to Me, O islands, and pay attention, you peoples from afar. The LORD called me from the womb; from the body of my mother He named me."

Acts 9:15a: "But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel."

As you jump into adolescence with your adolescent, take a deep breath, remind yourself your teenager is loved and created by God; unique, and with purpose. Do not forget-- he or she is a person with his or her own desires, ambitions, and dreams too!

Compliments of Practical Family Living, Inc.

P.O. Box 1676, Appleton, WI 54912 (920) 720-8920

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