Anyone who has come through the teenage years of their child’s life knows that this is a time of great bravery. Recently, during verbal combat with my fourteen year old, I found myself saying:
“You know why I’m so frustrated? It’s because I keep saying the same thing everyday!”
Without missing a beat, the aforementioned teen shot back,
“Well stop saying the same thing everyday!”
As my initial reaction of wanting to throttle her died down, I realised that there may be something more to what she had just said. Did I have a choice? Sensing my momentary lapse, the fourteen year old made a hasty exit. Timing is everything. Years of being studied by your children, matched with the budding vitality of youth, can make for a daunting opponent.
Left to ponder my choices, I wondered how I would feel if I didn’t have to repeat this pattern on a daily basis. The answer came quickly and clearly. Free. Well, free-er for sure. I considered if the repetition was serving its purpose in driving home a point to my child or whether it was, in actuality, drawing my attention to the fact that I was choosing to do something that I did not enjoy, something that had its foundation in a misplaced fear. Was it time to let it go in the knowledge that I had done my best and so would my child when it came time to? The frustration was a big clue!
Life is full of choices. We need to be mindful as we make them. Is there something you repeat every day which is no longer working for you? In letting it go, you are creating space in your life for something new and fun to enter. Who knew teenage angst could push us to our limits, sometimes to help set us free.
Best
Afshan
We are always holding onto one thing or the other. Letting go is so hard on one hand and yet so easy. Love your blogđź’•