Talking to Teens

You know how I just read Twilight, and loved it? Well, the movie was really, super, not-good. It was embarrassingly bad. It was painful to watch.
And that's all I have to say about that.

This book I am reading was challenging parents to consider why they are threatened to discuss some topics with their teenagers.
My teenager and I had a lovely discussion about it. Fortunately, he and I agreed that neither of us is threatened, or shy, about discussing stuff.
So, then we proceeded to talk about a variety of locker-room topics that he gets to encounter when up at the public school for wrestling. You'd be surprised at the things he's seen first-hand at the local skate park, too.
It takes a lifetime to develop that kind of conversational ability with one's kid. He needs to understand that God is not shy about these things. God tells us quite frankly what we need to avoid, and He tells us unblushingly what we can enjoy. I want my boys to have correct information, and to be comfortable having these conversations in the privacy of their own home.
It's not just sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll, either. It's stealing, or cheating. or annoying authority figures. They need to have a freedom to bring their thoughts to me. They should be able to use me as a sounding-board as they figure out how they think about things. They can't always believe things, just because I tell them to. They have to process this stuff. They have to work it out on their own, and I want to hear about it.
I like what I'm seeing. M is way smarter than I sometimes give him credit for. He thinks about things. It sounds like he makes some really good decisions. He makes bad ones, too, don't get me wrong. But when he screws up, he's pretty much able to see why. He applies Scripture to his life situations. He sounds like he's learned from the mistakes of those around him, too. I think we call that "wisdom."
D is close behind his big brother. He's still very young, though. Younger than his almost-12-years. He's a good kid. I'm proud of both of them.
God has done some stuff in these boys, because there's more at work in them than just my inconsistant parenting. There're going to be fun to watch as they grow into men. I look forward to seeing who they are as adults.