by gillian claire: Mother of Teens

One day you're raising two little boys... pushing the stroller to the playground in the evenings, sneaking out of their room after they fall asleep at night, touching their cheeks and whispering, "Never grow up." And the next thing you know - you're mothering teens.

And teenagers, you know, they come with their own set of challenges. Challenges that slap you in the face with their stark contrast to those of mothering little boys - arguing over what time to put the phones down at night, checking their location and saying, "Make good choices," more times than you can count, guiding them as they create values unique to their own path in this life.

And I'm not going to lie - it hurts. It hurts letting go of control. It hurts just as much as you knew it would when you packed away the newborn onesies and said, "It's going so fast," for the very first time. The pain of wanting to hold on only gets deeper as they grow.

But these are the days you put in the work for at the beginning. They are the days that take extra work now. And they are a million times worth the exhaustion, the worry, the pain. They are worth every, "Love you mom," and "Thank you," that comes genuinely now. I am the safe space for them to land when they make mistakes.

One day you're raising babies, and so quickly you find your purpose in mothering teens.