Parenting is not THAT different with a teen

[This post is sponsored by the Center for Parent and Teen Communication.  All opinions are my own.]

Then

My high energy toddler could run circles around all of us and repeat back every detail of the movie he watched just once. I was “Mr. Credible” and Cameron was “Dash.” We would play pretend characters just like The Incredibles movie for entire afternoons.

Now

That love of movies never went away. We bought a membership to a local art movie theater so we could enjoy time together. We can talk all night about the plot and characters. Cameron will share the latest storyline from a video game I’ve never watched and somehow he’s captured my full interest through the description. He’s the same person, just a lot bigger!

This video captures a lot of what it’s like to parent a teenager these days.

I try so hard to focus on the good stuff. This article from Dr. Ken Ginsburg explains why the good stuff matters even more now as a parent of a teenager. I really appreciate how the Center for Parent and Teen Communication built a real guide to parenting when I felt I was really winging it up until now! Hopefully, the experiences I’m learning with Cameron will help me as Jordan moves into her teenage years. 

How are you navigating this world of teen communication? What is your big ‘aha’ moment?