The teen girl had the opportunity to see Khalid in concert… in Charlotte… on a work night… this summer. That was a big nope for me, for many reasons. So like I did for her very first concert, I paid for the ticket and sent her with a cool mom who was willing to make the trip. I felt ok about it until I saw on old people social media (AKA Facebook, for those not in the know) that a lot of my friends made the trip. And they all work full time like me.
Then the guilt set in. Why can’t I be a cool mom who wants to drive 5 hours so my girl can see Khalid in concert? I explained to the teen girl that I would be willing to take her to see Wilco, Kacey Musgraves, or the Indigo Girls, but surprisingly she was not interested in seeing any of these concerts live (or hear their music in my car).
So after my pity party, and a cheer up session on old people social media, I realized this is why moms have a village, and it takes a village to keep teenage girls happy. I am always the mom that volunteers to get teens to super early travel events, and I offer our house as a place to sleepover so parents don’t have to drive to our out of the way compound to get their kiddos super late at night (that workshop was supposed to be the husband’s man cave, but it is quickly turning into the teenage hang out place).
I also think it is important for our teens not to see their parents as people who will always say yes to what they want. The idea of a Khalid concert was not fun to me, but it obviously was to other parents, and that is ok. I was able to let the teen girl have the experience she wanted but in a way that also took care of me and my needs. A win/win in my book.
So fellow parents, how do you manage both your needs and your teen’s needs? And thank God for my village!
Want to chat about parenting in the teenage years? Check out the Let’s Talk Parenting link and get in touch. I would love to talk with you.