Oh, Children *Sigh*

This is a non specific mention about an encounter I've had with an anonymous teenager I've been chatting with lately. And maybe also a lesson for me when I have teens some day, however I would hope to raise them to where they wouldn't force me to think the title of this entry about them and their antics.

I met a 14/15 year old girl at camp, so we started chatting. She shared some information with me that, were it happening to myself, I would freak out about, or rather freak out about telling other people about, especially people that I spoke to maybe a sentence or two one summer. Anyway, I am fine with her sharing this information with me, but I was sort of expecting her to share a problem or receive comfort about what I and others would see as a problem, however her decisions have resulted in a huuuge, life-changing event (which it is in every definition of life-changing). She seems to be in some sort of lala land that any of it is indeed life changing, scary, and requiring a bit more than just "being excited."

It's hard to share her excitement, and not want to ramble off concerns or at least skim the surface of a litany of advice I'd want to give her. She's not looking for advice, she thinks everything is fine. Apparently she has no idea what she's gotten herself into.

She seems to be doing whatever it is she's doing just for attention, and she's using Facebook as her call for it, just my perception though. She signs on to chat to me to tell me some of her tidbits. I'll respond to a somewhat shocking detail (shocking in the sense of 'what a shame') with "really? wow", and she'll "LOL!!11" and subtly act like 'ha, get a load of me!'

The teenage attention business is pretty annoying if you ask me. Be normal, will you? We will appreciate that about you more than you trying to be unreasonably outstanding, I promise. Sheesh. I'm not tolerating any of that crap from my kids. Plus a bit of common sense, reasoning and humility goes a LONG way.

I have to think the state of mind children take about life is due to the way they were brought up, whether things they emulate or things they alter by observing their parents. This indeed is what should make every parent carry a healthy worry about raising their children. I think if no challenge is perceived, then a lot of important things get over looked and not addressed.

Ugh. There's a lot more I would want to vent about this subject because I think it's so important.. I just can't tolerate children being robbed of their sunny happy childhood. Anyway, this girl is already at the height of her situation, all I can do is pray for her, and hope that the people in her life will influence her positively.