Raising a teenager is a lot like herding cats

If the cats had a penchant for eye rolls, and unpredictable mood swings, and communicated almost exclusively in grunts and emojis.

This is the story of my adventures (and misadventures) navigating the always memorable, often rocky terrain of life with a teenager. It is told with love, laughter, and a healthy smattering of bewilderment.

The Teenage Transformation It seemed to happen almost overnight. One day I had a bright, chatty child; the next, a towering enigma shrouded in headphones. In this chapter, I talk about the shock and awe of the early days of the teenage metamorphosis, a time when mood swings crop up as often as new fashion trends.

Communication Conundrums Nowhere in the teenager instruction manual does it mention anything about having straightforward conversations. Instead of full sentences, I found myself decoding grunts and silences, trying to decipher the meaning of long strings of letters punctuated by the occasional cryptic emoji. In this chapter, I’ll regale you with some of the more humorous twists and turns in the communication maze better known as ‘talking to a teenager’.

The Battle of the Boundaries Boundaries, like puppies, are never just for Christmas. Enforcing them requires a light touch — and the patience of a saint. In this chapter, I’ll recount the battle of setting curfews, enforcing rules, and the occasional strategic retreats in the face of impeccable teenage logic.

The Emotional Rollercoaster Let’s face it. Just when you think you have this parenting thing down, life throws you a curve ball and you’re back to square one. In my case, that curveball was, of course, a teenager, and from the highest highs of major academic and sports accomplishments to the devastating lows of lost first loves and other ‘tween’ tragedies, this chapter covers the emotional ups and downs of life with a teenager.

Rediscovering Connection Amid the angst and insanity of daily life, there are flashes of connection that pop through. That moment when you understand each other’s sense of humor or the quiet walk home from school somehow turns into a deep and difficult discussion about an alleged friend. In this chapter, I’ll share with you some of the unexpected and poignant moments of connection that I’ve managed to squirrel away from this time in our lives.

Letting Go When you raise a teenager, the process of letting go happens in the tiniest increments. Some days, I forget all about it and still pack her lunch and deliver it to her at school (medically necessary brownie in hand.) In others, I realize that she’s taking her first cautious steps toward adulthood and what that means for me and my role as a parent.

The Journey Continues. The farther into the forest, the thicker the trees. As she gets closer to adulthood, I’m struck by what a long and unpredictable journey it’s been. There’s been laughter and love and light and, sure, plenty of trips, falls, and moments of being well and truly lost. But having experienced it all, I can safely say that even though raising a teenager feels a bit like herding cats, it is wonderfully and beautifully unpredictable and strange and a gift and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.