Help, I have a teenage son!

Have I mentioned I am the mom of two teenage boys? Maybe not to you, but apparently I’ve been quite vocal about it to those who have known me no less than 24 hours. I would suppress my emotional narratives if only I could. I lost all transparency when I gave birth to my first son. For those of you who don’t know me, before mom-hood therapy sessions were filled with dead air, particularly after the “how does that make you feel” inquiry. On July 14, 1990 the dam broke and there isn’t enough concrete in the world to rebuild it. Colic, vomiting, breastfeeding, sleep deprivation. I’d like to say I coped well, but I didn’t even cope well enough. My urge to maintain the “all is well” facade faded rapidly amid temper tantrums, middle of the night phone calls, driver’s tests, girlfriends. In a culture that increasingly diminishes the value of parents, support was difficult to come by and I nearly broke.

Did I let this shame quiet me? Hell no! (Oh, have I mentioned I’m also no longer “a lady?”) Those little brats did not get the best of me!!! I think this may be the tone my three friends picked up on during the past week. I’m a survivor of raising two normal teenage boys. My friends are having their doubts about themselves. I adore my boys and for them "that lovin' feelin'" will return one day soon.

I could fill a book with failures and successes, advice and encouragement, but then this isn’t a book is it? What struck me is how I wish I had found someone just like me when I desperately needed hope and guidance. And, that my friends is why Let Wisdom Ring was born.