"You just wait....."

Ever since I became a mom there have been people in my life who have said..." Oh, just wait until all those kids are teenagers....." And they say it with a somewhat negative or cautionary tone. Almost like they think it will be torture. Some of these people had teenagers, some never even had kids, some had kids the same age as mine. I heard it so many times I began to dread the 'teenage years'. But here I am...the mother of 2 teenagers and 1 tween and 2 kids aged 7 & 6. I have to say the 'teenage' years hit me a lot faster than I would have wished for. It seems like I blinked my eyes and CS (Pineapple Princess) is almost 15!!! Well, let me tell you something about the 'teenage' years.....it is and can be a GOLDEN time in your life. Is it easy? NO..but nothing WORTH it is easy. Is it stressful? YES. Do you worry every single day that your kiddos will make right decisions? YES. Is it the most fun you will have in your life? YES. Is it a time to nourish the relationship you have been developing? YES. Kalani and I have tried really hard to create a balance in the lives of our children. A balance that allows them to have and exercise their free agency but still adhere to the rules and expectations of our family. I have been pleasantly surprised at how fun this time in our life has been. One of our favorite things to do is to just sit and talk, to laugh, to LISTEN to these wonderful kids. Usually after our sunday dinner Kalani, me and the 3 older kids just sit and hang out. What fun!!! These kids have fun personalities, they are passionate about what they beleive in. They share things they have learned, they say things like..."hey, mom remember the time...." and I think to myself as they talk about the memory, YES I do remember. They ask for blessings from their dad who honors his priesthood. They are involved with their church group, scouts, student council, sports, dance, they attend Seminary, they memorize scriptures, they help with little siblings. They are funny. They make me laugh. They make me cry. They make me grateful to be their mother. They make me count my blessings everyday. They make me humble. They are not perfect. We have had some issues, some big-some small. I am sure as time goes on we will have bigger issues to deal with it. But I am convinced the foundation we are laying now will help us create a bond that will help us deal with the issues yet to come. I know that we are given each of our children for a specific reason. I know that for whatever reason I had to be the mother of the 6 beautiful spirits that I have been given stewardship over. I recognize they aren't "mine" they are children of our Heavenly Father--just as I am. I have been given the task and responsibility to care for them, to teach them, to set an example for them, to LOVE them. It can be a daunting task in this day and age. There are often times that I fall short and feel I am failing my Father in Heaven. But then something wonderful happens, one of my kids will walk into a room and come up to me and whisper in my ear.."I love you, Mom" or 'thanks, Mom'. Or a million other sweet phrases. It is worth it. It is the greatest time in our lives. It is fun. It is sweet and tender at times. It is like a hurricane sometimes. It is like Satan is living right in our living room sometimes. It is busy and chaotic at times. It is tearful at times. It is laughter. But even through all of these 'times' it is LOVE always. So, I say to all of you who have teenagers or will someday...."You just wait....You are going to love it!!!"