Ohhhh, the joys and woes of raising teenagers! With the teenage years comes an entirely new batch of experiences and facts you may not have been expecting. Traditionally, we’re used to hearing all the advice for new parents and parents of young ones. You won’t sleep, you won’t eat, you’ll be stretched thin, your patience will be tested, and so forth. For some reason, there is an unspoken magical quality about the teen years that gives an improper expectation. Your teen is independent; they can think for themselves, you don’t have to watch them as closely, and they develop their own minds.If you’re like me, you can read that last sentence and go, “There’s a recipe for disaster!” It’s true. I’m raising teenagers. No one warned me. Yes, my teenagers are independent, and with that comes more arguments than I care to count. No longer is “because I said so” even an adequate response. It’s like they don’t even hear it. Sure, they can think for themselves, which means nine times out of ten, their thoughts don’t align with mine. Insert arguing again. Oh yes, and we don’t have to watch them closely? HA! Just wait until you hand the car keys over to your teenage son, or send your daughter cross-country on a plane by herself. It’s not uncommon to rationally conclude that your son probably will drive too fast and risk his life, and your daughter is being watched by people with ill intent. It’s just the world we live in. So no, the “watching your children closely” part doesn’t go away; it just takes a different style.Because of this, our marriages are taxed! Yes! And let’s not address it, but at least acknowledge the elephant in the room. You’re living with almost-adults. So how do you “adult” in your marriage when your kids stay up until 1 AM? Alone time is essentially non-existent, and PDA of any shape or form is not only gag-response-inducing to your teen but potentially traumatizing too.So, in marriage during the teen years, we struggle with lack of sleep, a severe deficit of patience, a shortage of relaxation, and not as much time together as we thought we’d have by now.Here are just a few things you can do to keep your marriage strong and survive the teen years:Photo credit: ©GettyImages/kate_sept2004
Source:: Life – Relationship – ibelieve
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