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Mom-bloggers are a powerful presence in the blogosphere, and we 20- and 30-something mothers of little ones love to tell our stories of potty training and PTA. But there is a strong group of mom-bloggers writing about the challenges that come further along in the motherhood journey, writing about parenting teenagers and young adults. These seasoned moms have a thing or two to teach those of us still in the trenches.
Mid-Century Modern Moms is a group blog launched just this week. It's written by ten moms of older kids. They were inspired to launch this blog after noting that
We didn't have a playgroup or a school PTA anymore. Our kids were old and independent and didn't really want to hang out with us much anymore. We needed a spot where we could talk about all the things that make parenting teens so challenging and rewarding. We needed a place to let our hair down and talk about dirty socks and smelly boys and kids that are eating us out of house and home. We needed a place where other moms were going through the college admissions process, and then saying "goodbye" to their precious children as they moved on in their lives.
These women, with their wide-ranging experiences, aim to "tell it like it is," where the teen years are concerned. Contributors include Jenny, who writes about the destructive force of teenagers:
But the thing is, once kids get old enough to be utterly self-sufficient while not concerned necessarily with being responsible, they're capable of such indirect destruction, they can be compared to a plague of locusts. Or at least a swarm.
Nina writes about helping teens navigate a divorce:
[My son] was very conflicted about meeting his Dad's first serious girlfriend since the divorce. He told me he didn't want to go, had too much homework, play rehearsal, yadda yadda yadda. I could tell it was feeling like a "loyalty thing" and that he didn't want to upset me. So I consciously, carefully took the high road, sat him down and together we did some prep before the dinner.
There are plenty of other moms blogging the teen years with humor and grace. Janice at Twist and Skewer tell us that
Of course I am not serious about locking your teens in the attic! I personally find the dungeon much more effective!
Sue Blaney is a mom of two college students, and she shares her wisdom at Please Stop the Rollercoaster!
Dads are in the game as well. Renaissance Guy writes at Significant Pursuits:
As adults we often have bad days, and we want people to be patient and tolerant of us on those days. Teenagers have a bad day pretty much every day, and so we need to just let them vent a little bit and take a bit of their grouchiness and sullenness with grace.
I personally am taking great comfort in knowing this dialogue exists out there on the world wide web. My oldest son's teen years are just one tiny bend in the road away, and I've had more than a few panicky moments wondering what lies ahead. These bloggers give me hope that we can come out of those years with all our limbs attached, and a few good blog posts of our own, to boot.
Shannon Lowe is a BlogHer Contributing Editor (Mommy/Family). She also writes at Rocks In My Dryer.
