many of the problems

i think that many of the problems we face as teens, stay our weakness throughout our lives..
we just become better at hiding them than our flamboyant, out there young people dobedroom furniture!!

but i saw kate's heart really leaning to the world for several months.
and as attitudes built and my worry turned to control and control turned to clashing and clashing to arguing and arguing to tears, and wondering, where my sweet compliant child had gonemobile phone accessories?

only to later realize. she was working out her own beliefs.
it's what we want our kids to do, right? but, what a scary process to watch.

around the first of the year, she and i headed to cincinnati together.
i have no idea what happened. other than to say, on the trip down she was one person.
on the trip back.. she was my old kate again.

and when i asked her, "i can tell you've changed. what happened?"
"i don't know mom." she answered. "other than i just feel God got a hold of me again."

i get tears even writing it.

it's probably the single most important lesson i've learned so far in parenting
that God can parent our kids just fine without us all up in their faces and paranoid and worrying and trying to force them to talk to us or be close or read the bible or all the spiritual bull you throw at them to try, because you just know that somehow you'll say the magic word and then, they'll instantly snap back..

no. God can handle getting a hold of our kids hearts all by Himself. and trust me, He will.
and when He does it. it's genuine. it last. and there is change.