Teenagers Need Time

Teenagers need time.

We often hear parents say that their teenagers don’t DO anything, but is it really that they don’t do anything or is it that they don’t do anything that the parents see as a valuable use of their time.

My son is deep into viking and British/Norse history right now. He found some movie prop swords and axes at his grandparents that they had randomly picked up at a garage sale years ago. They are super well made with oak handles and real metal blades, but they were not in good shape from being stored for so long.

So he spent hours and hours one weekend cleaning them up so he could hang them in his room. He was totally engaged, googling all sorts of weaponry, even picked up some more wood to carve a few things he has planned.

None of this will help him get a job or earn him school credits (not that I care about that, but it is where most parents are coming from), but it is SOOOO valuable because it lights him up.

Teenagers need more time to be lit up.

If they know what makes them happy and DO what makes them happy during these years, I think they’ll be able to better find harmony in their adult lives and see that career and money aren’t everything. That’s just the narrative “they” want us to teach our children.

Real happiness comes from those things that light you up and spark a deep interest.

Hopefully our teens find careers that light them up. But if, after time, the light dims, I hope they know how to dive deeply into interests so that their own light never dies.

Until next time,
Marina