Frozen Taz

My Greatest Gift

I have a teenage son, at an age where most are consumed by impressions and Peer gathering forgetting that they even have families let alone that those families have feelings, he is brakes the stereotype.


The average stereotype teenager relies on the perception of their peers to gage their standards. Pouring the majority of their energy into obtaining the latest and greatest items and conducting themselves in a manner which will earn them "cool" status with their peers as if that judgment is the answer to life itself. My son defies the stereotype by being independent and unique in his actions and way of thinking.


Parents are hunting down new ways to get and stay connected with their growing young adults. Trying with all the strength of giants to guide the teens, keep order in the home and maintain the authority of the family leaders. It is a tight wire walk that is loaded with stress, high standards and most importantly the delicate developing of life foundation for the future lifestyles of these soon to be adults.


Not that I am any different then the rest of the parents out there, yet my son is one of those rare young adults which makes the adventure just a little easier. My son thinks for himself and although he wants to be accepted by his peers, he would prefer to have the admiration and respect of his family more.


Unlike most teens, he strives for time with his family. He will cancel or rearrange plans with his peers if to accommodate family schedules. He is the quick to remind us that it has been a month sense we had family time. He values our mother & son dates so greatly that he has made the arrangements and paid just to ensure that he receives his monthly day out with his family.


I have a gift in my son that was not enforced or drilled into him, it was simply implanted by the lifestyle in which we struggled though and survived. After so many years of it being just us. His siblings were grown with their own lives, his father was in the picture but not the house, and I haven't had minimal family around. Therefore, it became a way to treat us both when he was young.


I needed a cheap way to take a time out and recharge myself. Being that I was watching pennies so closely I could very well afford childcare even for just the one evening. Which in turn meant I needed to find a family friendly time out. It was so out of the ordinary routine for us that my son saw it as a treat. It was a win win for us both. As he got older and more self sufficient it eased the stress and load I was carrying myself I was able to let go little by little allowing him to explore who he wanted to be.


The greatest reward was the day that my son came to me and informed me that regardless of why the mother & son days started he still values them just as much as he ever did and wanted them to continue though out his life. Now the roles are reversed. He needs the time out to keep himself forced in life and I get the treat of changing the ordinary routine.





Taz





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