A Note To Parents and Future Parents

 Disclaimer: This post is based on my own experiences with parents and other parents. 

Dear Parents, 

    we need comfort sometimes. We need a hug. When we mess up, we need a hug. When we are confused, we need a word of comfort. We don't come to you for a rant. When we come to you in need of help, a rant is not what we need. We need a short bit of encouragement. We need wisdom. We need freedom. Please don't see our frustration as hatred towards you. We don't hate you. We have frustration towards you sometimes. We have frustration towards ourselves. We are working through a lot. Body issues. Responsibility. Mental health. Our own beliefs. We need the freedom to choose. The freedom to choose what we believe, the freedom to choose our actions. You can guide, but please don't force. We want our lives to be perfect, but that can't be, so we are kind of mad at the world. We throw fits like toddlers. We get mad like kids. Please be more gracious. More loving. More kind. Please understand that we are changing. We will grow out of bad habits. Help us and give us the resources to change sooner rather than later. We need you. You were placed in our lives to keep us safe, make us Godly, give us wisdom and resources, and then to let us go. That is your job. 

Dear Future Parents,

    if you are planning to have a kid or are about to have a kid, please know that it will be hard. I'm not sure what it's like to have babies hahaha, but I know what it's like to be a kid. The world seems scary. We are curious as children. Keep us safe, but let us explore. We need to grow up with stability. With love in our hearts. Do not try to shelter. Do not try to be the "strict" parents. Everyone knows that strict parents = rebellious kids. It's hard to always keep us happy, but please don't get frustrated and give up. Please keep at it, we will come around. We seem stubborn but we are just mad. We are mad that we don't get what we want, we are mad that we can't be older, smarter, prettier, taller, shorter. We want to be who we aren't so always tell us that we are beautiful and made in the image of God. Raise us to be kind, loving, and faithful to our friends and family. Teach us that cool kids are kind, and confident in who they are. They don't need others to confirm their identity because God has already confirmed it. Tell us daily that God is on our side. Tell us daily that you are our biggest cheerleader. Teach us to love teaching and to hate ignorance. Teach us to have an open mind yet know the truth. Teach us to be brave for Christ. Teach us to love discipline and to hate corruption in society. Show us what is right in God's eyes. Don't talk negatively about us or about anyone else ESPECIALLY around us. Give us tools to use when we are feeling emotions that are hard to deal with. Teach us God's word. Show us how loving God is and how He blesses us with so much. Take us outside and show us nature. 

Respectfully,

a teenager