Mark Twain said, when a child becomes a teenager, you should “put him in a barrel and feed him through” a hole in the lid. When they turn sixteen, Twain said, “Plug the hole!” If you have challenging teenagers, you understand where he’s coming from, but let’s be real—you could get in trouble for that! But, you know what? It’s in a teen’s DNA to be a little oppositional. Why? They’re testing you and their place in this world, and God’s using that to form them into the people He wants them to be. Our job as a parent is to courageously and lovingly hold the line. Be a gutsy, trusting parent who hangs tough even when your son or daughter gets upset. Remember, they’ll only be teens for a short time. They will grow out of it.
Mark Twain on raising teens
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