Mothering

I was talking to a friend recently about how hard mothering is. We both have teenage children and are both stretching and learning to accommodate these new relationships with our older children. It feels like walking on a tightrope trying to back off and be a friend and let them figure it out, but still being a parent when you need to and be a safe backstop to steer them in the best directions. It’s such a game of how and when to know how to do either one and they change the rules on you constantly. It’s so comforting that I’m not the only one trying to figure it out. I was talking to my daughter the other day and I said, “I’ve never parented teenagers before. I’m learning as you grow up.” And she so sweetly empathized with me and then floored me with, “I’ve never BEEN a teenager before. I’m learning too.” 🥹🥹 And I was flooded with empathy for her because that’s hard too. And I remember it was for me too. And thank goodness we can lean on each other and lean on the good people around us and all keep figuring it out as we go forward. Because even when it’s not ideal, there’s something so beautiful and sweet about being humans alongside each other and I am here for it. ❤️

[“Happy Citrus Two” 4x4, available this week at @utahartmarket]