A blessing for those who love teenagers

As Taylor is only a teenager for 11 more days (where on God's earth did 20 years go?), I thought this blessing was worth sharing along with this screenshot of this text from him last week that absolutely made my day.....

a blessing for those who love teenagers

Bless you who love a teenager—

who carry them in your heart

and your worries,

who lie awake replaying the day,
wondering if you did too much
or not enough,
if they’ll be okay, if you will be too.
Bless you in the mess of it,
in the deep breaths before the hard conversations,
in the holding back
when you want to fix,
in the moments you feel like you’re failing.
May you remember:
these are the most fascinating human beings in the world.
May you have the grace to pause,
to listen before you advise,
to say, “If I were in your shoes,
I’d feel the same way,”
to trust that love, more than answers, is what they need most.
May laughter slip in at just the right moment,
fueling you for the days when joy feels far away.
May your steady love quiet their fears. And yours.
And bless you who never got this kind of care,
who are trying to offer
what you never received,
who are doing it differently,
even when it’s messy.
Imperfect as it all is—
your love is enough.
-Kate Bowler