Where Did My Mommy Superpowers Go?

How is it possible that the category that best suits my article is, "Advice and Tips For Parents of Teens?" The irony here is that I have neither advice nor tips to offer, but that I really need some myself! Advice might not be exactly what I am looking for. Devine intervention is probably more of what I am seeking.

When my kids were younger they thought that I had the answers to everything, they wanted to spend time with me, and they truly believed that whatever I kissed was instantly healed. Where have my mommy superpowers gone? It seems they have been slowly sucked away by time, replaced instead by the horrible inability to ever say or do anything "right."

When my kids were little, I felt like I was great at the job of being a mother. I thought that I had it all figured out. Little did I know that I was not prepared for the challenges of handling older teens. I lost my mother when I was 18 years old, to breast cancer. I had no example of how to parent older teens, or how to handle the parental emotions that come with the job. Gone from my life is the person I need advice from the most. So I muddle through this new era; laughing, crying, talking and sometimes screaming. My impact at this point appears to be negligible, if any.

I understand that older teens need their space. But how much? And why is it that however much you give them, it is never enough? The problem with giving them too much space, is that they aren't completely ready to face the world without any parental guidance. It goes against every ounce of motherhood I possess, to stand back and watch one of my "babies" walk toward the edge of a perverbial cliff, and do absolutely nothing about it.

God did not make mother's with off switches. I am very sure about that. My "mother switch" didn't even come with a dimmer. It is permanently stuck in the on position. That makes this stage of the job even harder for me. Motherhood is the only job in the world that you devote 18 years of your life to, only to be completely phased out.

I think that mothers want the same thing for their children, as their children want for themselves. The goal is the same. To prepare them for life, so that they have the ability to be totally independent one day. When that day comes, the children are thrilled and excited, while all their mothers want to do is hit the rewind button and start all over again.