Parents...cool? Or not so much?

Happy Wednesday Everyone,

I love to read Nathan Pyle comics...I have used a few here and there in my blog posts as inspiration.  You might remember them.  It's the aliens who are on earth that are constantly trying to interpret our world with their formalized language...you know the one???  The comics are called Strange Planet.  

I often read them and chuckle to myself and then insist on reading them to my spouse who thinks they are funny, (but certainly doesn't appreciate them in the same way that I do).  Recently, he learned that Pyle had created two books of his Strange Planet Comics so he kindly purchased them for me.  I've been thumbing through them this morning thinking about inspiration for today's blog, and I found this one...


Now maybe this is funnier to me than it will be for you, (because you haven't lived your life outside of your parents/guardians/caregivers home yet, and subsequently haven't come to the realization that your parents are actually pretty brilliant), but I still think it a good jumping-off point for that discussion. 

Now all families have their quirks, struggles, and places where they get stuck or even struggle greatly - when I was growing up, we had our fair share of dysfunction...wait, did I say had...we're still all a little bit weird I think!  However, under all the strange there is love!💓  

It's this love that makes the relationship between tweens and teens and their caregivers (or "lifegivers" as Pyle coins them), hard sometimes.  Caregivers are so used to having complete control over their kids when they are little, and they are so used to their little, little darlings hanging on their every word and believing that they are superheroes.  When little darlings start changing into big, little darlings - middle-schoolers - you are starting to want independence, you are starting to think for yourselves, and you are starting to realize that your adults are human too, and have flaws (just like we all do, BTdubs, so don't hold it against them, okay!).  So anyway, when we start to realize these things and start growing in this way, it's easy to feel like our parents are the worst...like they don't know anything and are just holding us back from being awesome.  Truly though, your adults are actually the best!  The best for you.  They know you like no others do...they love you like no others...and they want to impart all of their knowledge of the world to you so that you stay safe, happy, healthy, and awesome! 

This push and pull between your growing up and a parent's job to guide that growing up is hard because you need to find out about the world on your own too.  It's why tweens and teens can find it hard to relate to their parents on occasion.  I want to encourage you - when you are in the midst of this struggle, and you feel like your parents don't understand you, or they can't possibly be on your side - to remember that they, "know you like no others do...they love you like no others...and they want to impart all of their knowledge of the world to you so that you stay safe, happy, healthy, and awesome."   (Yes, I did just quote myself...it's that important!).  If you truly feel your parents don't understand you, then let them in.  Share your hopes, dreams, visions, and goals.  You may just find some of your biggest cheerleaders!  

What else can you do when you feel like your caregivers are aliens and are speaking a different language?  Try to communicate when/if things get rocky.  Share how you feel calmly and respectfully, work towards compromises, put the effort into understanding your parent's feelings and concerns, and remember that you still have lots of time - and a safe place - to make mistakes with the care and guidance of your parents and caregivers by your side.  Have compassion and know that your goals and theirs are really not so very different - that is that you get to grow up and be happy and successful in all that you chose to do and be.

Someday you'll realize that your, "lifegivers" were right about not eating sweet discs in bed!  Ew...those crumbs!  

Have a great day everyone!  Enjoy the sunshine!

Mrs. Hempey

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