P.O.T.

I figured that title would get your attention :)

I'll let you sit and "chew" on it a while and see if you can figure out what it means before the end of this post.

This weekend was not one of my best "mothering" weekends.  Lost my cool, said stupid things, got incredibly inpatient and fed up.  Can I be honest?  PMS is NOT my friend once a month and when that hits at the same time as a moody teenager - well - the results are never good.

I love my kids - more than anything.  Wouldn't trade them for the world.

But this teenage/college thing?  It's for the birds.  Gone is my son who used to cuddle with me every chance he gets.  Gone is my little girl who wants to play dress up.  Left is tough decisions, kids who pull away.  Sometimes the ungratefulness can bring me to my knees - quite literally.  I feel so unappreciated most days.  So much like all I'm good for is to make the food, keep the clothes clean and drive them wherever they want to go.  I really miss the days where my word was not questioned and where Mommy was the queen of everything.  It could easily leave me not wanting to get out from under the covers most days.  And I have good kids.  I can't even imagine what it would be like to be the parent of a child hooked on drugs, drinking or sex.  I don't think my heart could stand it.

I know in my head this is merely a stage - but I also know things will never go back to what they once where.  If they did - well then, I didn't do my job.  We raise them so one day they can leave.  I just didn't realize it would be so hard and hurt so much.

When our kids are little, we have MOPS.  Mothers of Preschoolers.  If only I had realized then THAT was NOT the hard days!!  Well - wait - it was hard in a different way.  Preschoolers are exhausting, demanding and you get NO "me" time.  You have to do everything for them. 

Now, when I feel I need a support system the most - we have nothing.  Nothing like MOPS.  I think there are several reasons for this.  Most of us have gone back to work and with running kids everywhere - our time is seriously already strained.  But secondly - I think we all get private.  We don't want to admit the struggles our kids have.  We want to appear to be the "perfect" parent.  We judge each other.  We breathe a sigh of relief when someone else's kids screw up instead of ours.  I think we avoid people as if their kids problems are some kind of plague our kids could catch.  We certainly don't come together, cry on each others shoulders, pray and support each other without judgement.

So.  P.O.T.  - can you guess?

Parents of Teenagers.  I think we should start something.  I seriously do.  I need you and I know others who need it.  Even if it's once a month.  I'm willing to offer up my house.  Does anyone else think this is a good idea?  Would anyone else want to join us?  NOT to talk about how terrible our kids our - but to encourage each other, remind each other that it's not always our faults, be truthful and honest with each other when it is, and to get on our knees and pray that our kids - and us - get through this unscathed and fully committed to Jesus.

Anyone?  (Oh - and we don't really need to call it P.O.T. - lol!)