My oldest child, Kylie, is turning 13 in just a few, short weeks.  I am blown away at how quickly the time has gone by.  I cannot believe she is almost officially a teenager, and more shockingly, is that I have been a mother for nearly 13 years already!  I’m still trying to wrap my brain around being a mom, much less being a mom of a teenager!  Every year when her birthday rolls around, I am amazed at how fast she is growing up.  How do I stop this from happening?  How do I slow down this metamorphosis from my baby girl with pink toes and chubby cheeks…to a glowing, beautiful, intelligent, young woman?

I mean, I don’t know what I’m doing here.  I have no idea how to actually parent a teenager.  I have read all the books and magazines on how to handle their first ear infection and how to stop a toddler from biting their friends.  I can manage their firsts…their first steps…their first day of school…their first sleepover….

But a teen’s “firsts” are way too scary and uncharted territory for me.  We are now entering a completely new world of sexuality and rites of passage that parallel their lives a little too close to an adult’s life.  Something I am not nearly as comfortable with as I am with the little ones.  We are staring down the barrel of her first period…her first kiss…her first date…her first day of high school…her first prom!  We have all the monumental birthdays lying ahead like officially becoming a teenager…her sweet 16…and the ever so cherished 18th birthday when she is “officially” an adult!  I know her first boyfriend and her first heartbreak are lying ahead.  I know there will be numerous questions about sex and temptations I can’t even think about right now.  She will hate me as she never has before, but we will also build a friendship like never before.

No magazine or book has prepared me for this phase in our lives together.  Because I had her at such a young age (I was pregnant for my 20th birthday), I am unable to turn to most of my friends for advice.  Many of them are asking me how to deal with teething issues and potty training, so calling them up to ask how I should handle cat fights with friends and how I can protect her virtue is not an option.

So where do I turn to find my way this time….

I guess I am going to figure it out as I have in the past.  Blindly feel my way with her by my side….hand in hand we will figure it out together.  I think that’s the beauty of a first child.  All of their firsts are your firsts too.  I know she will help me navigate the way through this parenting maze.  I will screw up royally as I have in the past, and when I ask for forgiveness, she will pardon me as she always does.

And I will PRAY…pray like I’ve never prayed before!   Because no matter how clueless I am going into this new phase in our lives, I know that God has the answers and always seems to be there to take up the slack where I am lacking.

I will thank Him for such a gift….for such a wonderful; terrifying blessing it is to be a mom!