TEENAGERS

What wonderful creatures are teenagers !

They're so complex, yet so

Mysterious .

Really in a category by themselves,

No longer children, yet not adults, either.

They can drive us to distraction, yet at times

Make us weep with joy.

Today, March 27th, 2011, my daughter,

Candy, sent me a group of pictures.

They were of a huge rock in Iowa,

That had been written on for

Generations of teenagers, all

Manner of things, from the simple

'Johnny loves Mary' stuff, to all kinds of

Profanity, etc.

Then, along comes this boy, this

Teenager, who looks at the rock and sees

So much more potential in it.

He brings his paints and brushes and

Sits down, studies this rock for a bit,

Before deciding just how to go about

Presenting his artistry.

He started to paint, and what he

Portrayed on that rock is something that

Will be looked at and talked about for

Years to come.

This teenager, this kid, made the rock

Into a Memorial for all those who serve

In the U.S. armed forces.

I will be sending the pictures to all on

My E-mail list, and hope you all will

Forward it to everyone on your lists.

Next time we think of how badly

Some teens are acting up, please

Give a thought to this boy, who, although

At the time he painted these memorable

Scenes from our country's history, was

Too young to know what war is all about,

Still seemed to have so much love and

Understanding in his heart, for the

Sacrifices made by so many, and made

A glorious Memorial to all those

Who have fought and / or died,

In all the wars in which

Our country has been engaged.

Next time some teenager is giving you a

Hard time, try to listen to them,

Try to see the point they're

Trying to make, try to make some sort of

Compromise, meet them half-way,

And love them as if there's no tomorrow,

Because sometimes there isn't.

Think of this particular boy, and know that

There are so many more, just like him

Who only need to be listened to, and

Understood, and loved, no matter what !

Teenagers truly are wondrous creatures !!

I hope all you parents who read this

will look into your hearts, and realize

how much we all influence our children.

Those of us beyond child-rearing age

can look back and see the mistakes

we made with our own kids, and hope

that today's parents of young kids

will learn from our mistakes and do

a better job of listening to their kids

and help them to become healthier,

better adjusted adults than some of

our kids turned out.

We weren't bad parents, just misguided,

bringing up our kids the only way we

knew ; the way we were brought up.

Whether right or wrong, they and then

we, did the best we could, with the

knowledge and experience we had.

The kids and teens of today have it

really rough, living in an unsure world,

not knowing whether we will have to

fight a war here in our own country,

which could be a possibility, the way

things are going, with so many wrong

choices being made, so much unrest

here and in the rest of the world, so

much fighting for domination and power.

The least we adults can do for these

young people, these teenagers, and even

those a little older, is to listen to their

problems, their grievances, and show

them that we are listening, really,

truly, hearing them, and that they can

count on us to be there for them,

whatever is happening, whatever to them

is so important, even to the boy/girl

dramas, which to them, means so much.

They need to know that we care enough

to listen, to hold them when they are in

anguish, to just sit quietly sometimes,

while they pour out their feelings.

We must, if there is to be any hope

for these precious kids, and for our

nation, which they will be running,

governing, some day in the future.

Remember, we all were teenagers once,

and whether we got what we needed

or not, from the experience, we know

what we felt, what we needed, and we

can call upon those memories, those

feelings, and try to do better with our kids

or grandkids.

We must not dwell upon the mistakes

we made in the past, we just have to

do our best to help our kids NOW.

The past is done and over with, we

have to deal with what is going on

at the present time. Our kids, and we,

ourselves are worth the time and effort.

Let's continue to count our blessings,

today and every day.

I love you all, my dearest ones.

D