Mother of teenager? Not I, not yet...

This week I become the mother of a teenager. Well, it's one of those things that's been coming for 13 years, but, it just seems as though it has arrived too quickly! Aren't I too young to have a teenager? Well, no, technically not. On the one had it doesn't feel all that long since I was a teenager myself, but then on the other hand it feels like another life.

But, then, so does my pre-child life — I can hardly imagine them not around now.

Last week I enjoyed the mostly-single life (we still Skyped daily). It's 15 years this year since I was officially single. That also feels like another lifetime ago. Shopping for food for one person last week was weird. Cooking and cleaning up was a breeze! Meals were lonely.

I don't know what is ahead, but the last 13 years of parenting haven't been a breeze. I doubt that the next seven are going to be either. I guess the only way forward is how I've made it through the last 13 years — by God's grace and with lots of prayer.

I'm thankful that we start these years with a good relationship. One of us spends alone-time with him every evening. Ostensibly to read the Bible and his Bible study notes with him and pray (with the compulsory back-rub), but those times often turn into discussions that otherwise we wouldn't be having. It's great! He hasn't always been so open or willing to engage in spiritual disciplines with us, so I'm enjoying this current stage, most of it anyway.

In the meantime, our house is in a frenzy of birthday-anticipation. That is one of the fun things of multiple-children-families: they get to celebrate their sibling's birthdays almost as if it is their own. That means in our case, three birthdays each! Such fun!