Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Parties

In a day when teens are eager to be rid of their parents, I count myself blessed to be the mother of four lovable children. Last night, Mac's cross country team gathered at the local steakhouse for their end of the year banquet. Parents were invited, but not more than a few showed up. Mac, of course, wanted our whole family there. What good is it to have your accomplishments recognized if those who love you most aren't there to share the joy with you?

Tonight, is Mac's work Christmas party. He was excited to tell us that families are invited. Now, I took that to mean that married couples could bring their family. Not so much that teenage boys would bring theirs. But, Mac would hear none of it, and so we all will go. Gladly. And I'll be rejoicing in my heart that he is not ashamed to be with us, but rather, happy for us to accompany him.

On Friday evening, our children are welcoming around 20 of their friends into our home. Last year the count was 14. I planned to make myself scarce, but be in and out of the rooms every so often. NONE of the guests would hear of it. Would you believe that they wanted me to play games with them? They were polite, cleaned up after themselves, and said thank you before they left. I'm looking forward to the party this year.

Take a look around. Have you befriended a teen lately, or have you just sat by and wondered what the world was coming to? Give them a chance. You might be surprised!

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

We experience the same thing, Tracy. :o) El actually *enjoys* being with her parents...gasp!

Sheri said...

Oh Tracy, once again I'm thrilled beyond words to hear your talk of your teenagers in such a positive, happy, joyful, wonderful manner!!! (Again, you remind me of my amazing mom!) My heart aches when I hear parents complain and complain about their teenagers... You are a treasure Tracy and as a younger mommy, I'm learning so much from you. Thank you!

Enjoy ALL your Christmas parties this week!

Vicky said...

That is so wonderful!! I hope WE can be the house like that, too! :) Growing up, all of my friends (and my siblings' friends) always said how "cool" our parents were - even though they had 10-15 years on everyone else's parents! It was a reminder to be thankful for what we are blessed with. ;)
I read a short story in my devotional bible the other day and it made me think. It was basically that this woman worked hard to keep her house clean with her own # of children and she kind of got annoyed when other kids came over to mess it up even more. One day as she was stepping over her daughter and a friend, she overheard the friend say, "I love coming to play at your house because your mom doesn't yell all the time." She instantly felt convicted and vowed to ALWAYS welcome other children into her home, since it may be the only home where Christ is modeled for them. It gave me something to think about as well. I pray that you and your family are that for those other teens! :) Hope your party is a huge success!

Vicky said...

P.S. After my husband and I were married, we enjoyed going to visit his parents for weekends. Our favorite Saturday night activity was to play Hearts or Rook and just laugh the night away. I remember my MIL saying how nice it was to be friends with your older children - the parenting is (mostly) done and you can enjoy them more. :) We really treasure those memories!

Stacie said...

Mrs, K,
I am so excited about the party on Friday! It was a blast last year!

Diane Shiffer said...

What a wonderful post! My 17yodd says that she loves being at home best of all... and I have to say that hearing that warms my heart like nothing else. It's so sad to see teens that are so anxious to be out of the house and away from their families.

It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job with your boys!

Gena said...

Your house sounds like my house. I've already received e-mails from many of my kids' college friends asking what I'm cooking for Christmas since they'll be coming "home". I love that! We were always the place where they hung out and it is still the same way, even though they've gone out on their own.

It is such a blessing to have wonderful children. I have loved homeschooling my kids, as I know you have. It brings such a closeness in your family. I'm thrilled for you that you're having great holiday times with your teenagers.

randi said...

First off, I think that Sheri left the sweetest comment for you! I know that one makes you happy!

We love our teens too ( we have 3!) and we even like their friends. My daughter, Emily, has some of the cutest and funniest friends! One of her friends loves to cook and bought herself a Kitchenaid mixer with a Pasta attachment, and her other friend makes custom cakes for people and wants to attend cake decorating school. They are so creative and happy. I wish I knew it was OK to be like that when I was a teen!

My Em is a creative one too, so I guess she just attracts girls like herself!

Kelli said...

This gives me hope, Tracy. I was not nice to my parents as a teenager, something I am very sorry for today and wish I could do differently. What a blessing to have such loving teenage children!
Hugs,
Kelli

Ruth said...

That is so awesome, Tracy. I've had the priviledge to be Beth's teacher at her school since she was in 4th grade. Because of that, I KNOW her friends quite well. It is so neat to be welcomed by them and "accepted". I'm so glad that you have that with your son and friends!!

Anonymous said...

You are a very blessed mom! My girls have always been wonderful about acknowleging us as well.

Keep loving those kids. My youngest has had some hard days, but we are thankful for each positive baby step we see her make in heading into the future. We know God is faithful.

Merry Christmas Tracy.

Lori said...

I think that is wonderful.
Enjoy the party with your kids and their friends.
Sounds like a fun time going to Mac's Christmas party too.

Cherish the Home said...

A wonderful reminder Tracy. This post made me smile....

Blessings,
~Mrs.B

Jennifer said...

Oh I love this post!

For the past 6 years, I've been leading a teen girls Bible study at church... I love those girls like they were my own, and they certainly surprise me the majority of the time, in a good way.

Hope you are having a wonderful week!

Dawn said...

I love your blog. Your kids must be similar in age to mine. I have girl 16, boy 15, girl 13 and girl almost 11. They all have jobs, and the son's work had a BBQ this summer we were invited to, but we had other plans. I find our kids to be the same, and we do many things together. All 4 of mine have part time jobs although our son is on leave right now as he works at a tree nursery and greenhouse.

I loved browsing through you page.

Dawn