My Own Solution to Bridge the Gap with Your Teenage (and Preteen)sons

My own solution to bridge the gap with your teenage (and preteen)sons
Gone are the days of big wheels,hot wheels,toy soldier's,action figures and anything else that was made of plastic besides your credit cards!Yes, I have heard many people state over and over "boys are easier to raise than girls" well so far in my opinion they may be easier but not cheaper.And with society going the way it is,everything digital ,it seems that maybe we are losing a bit of ourselves.All our kids want to do is text on their cell phones and IM on line,actually talking face to face is sadly becoming null and void.Finding a middle ground can seem like a huge task.

While there are still those of us that are trying to successfully raise our children and be a part of their lives it is alarming to hear that already this year,according to the statistics that the rate of runaways has risen 31%.Of course most of these children are cases of broken homes and some sort of abuse but, it does happen to anyone and we need to make that number go down.Our children should be our first priority.

Myself,I love to read and write poetry and to shop but ,boys being boys that just does not interest them.My husband is very into archery and although the kids have tried it I just don't think it is their cup of tea.I know teenagers change from one day to the next and it becomes hard to keep up with their likes and dislikes and I have learned especially with boys that they are much tougher than girls so the things that I want to do seem "sissified".

I have found that with my children music is a gap closer for us and thank goodness for that.I have always loved and appreciated all kinds of music and I have let my boys decide on their own what music suits them because I am very flexible as far as that goes.I have many Cd's that range from Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin to George Strait and Garth Brooks to Pussycat Dolls and Rhianna to Skid Row and Poison to Saliva and Drowning Pool to Nelly and Sean Paul,I like to keep my mind open about such things and it has made a difference.

Last month I took my 15 and 12 year old boys to their first live concert,Saliva,Crossfade and Ligion.It is music that we all like and yes,it was a rock concert and yes, it did get rowdy complete with moshing and crowd diving,which my 15 year old was smack in the middle of it all and he loved it!My 12 year old stayed right with us,he seemed to be a little intimidated by all that was going on but he did enjoy the bands that performed,throwing up devils horns and jumping where he stood,which again was right by us.

I try not to struggle to know everything and understand everything finding a common denominator seems to be the easiest route. As I have come to find out that boys are a whole different breed and although both of my boys are loving and caring they are adventurous and insane at the same time .I do let them know that I am still in charge and that the communication factor is always in play,my arms are always open,my ears will always listen and I will always have time for them no matter how big they get or how big they think they are.