Raising Teenagers

It's a parents job to love their teenager and, apparently, it's a teenagers job to test that love.

That's it. That's the rules.
There are no others when it comes to raising teenagers.

The following are some random observations to help define these rules.

1. You don't know when a test is coming. You just somehow have to be prepared 24/7. And I mean 24/7. Example. Teenage daughter 'A' who was staying with friends down the road turns up at 1AM with an injured cat (badly cut leg) wanting me to fix it. I'm not a vet and the sight of blood doesn't thrill me. By the time I was properly awake, and realized that this wasn't a bad dream, the dining room table had blood all over it and for some unexplainable reason the cat wasn't thrilled about being held captive in our home. Now, the simple way to pass this test would have been to pay an after hours vet $150 plus to get them to help me pass the test. Unfortunately I didn't have the money to guarantee a pass so I had to wing it. By this stage I had three teenagers helping me so I took on a supervisory role offering pearls of wisdom such as "Don't let the cat get away!". To cut a long story short we managed to bandage the cats leg and teenagers 'A', 'B' and 'C' arranged to contact a friend of a friend of a friend, who's a vet, the next morning. As far as I know the cat is still alive.
2. The tests can be academic or practical. The academic ones test your mental strength and the practical ones usually cost you money.
3. You seldom get told the results of each test. However, there are some hints. If there is a period of peace following a test then chances are you probably passed. If you are given another test straight away it could mean that you failed the last one and this is either a new one or a re-sit.
4. No matter how hard a test is, it's never the teenagers fault.
5. Even if you do pass every test you still have to do the 7 years training. LOL. 7 years training - I could have been a vet!

But seriously, when it comes to raising teenagers I am yet again reminded of Billy Grahams quote,

It's Gods job to judge, the Holy Spirits job to convict and our job to love.

Please feel free to add your own observations in the comments.