My Contract With Myself

I truly thought getting my kids to the take-care-of-yourself stage meant I was home free. All the hard part of parenting was done, right?

Well, this year my oldest son turned fifteen and started high school. He'll even start driving soon. He's growing up, and I'm not sure how to parent a young man, it makes parenting toddlers look like child's play.

I'm not sure what I'm doing most of the time, and many times I realize later the choices I made weren't so good.

But here's my contract with myself knowing I have a teen and two more just behind:

1) I will support my teen, but not enable him. I will allow him to make his own decisions and face the consequences of those choices (as long as he is safe and headed in a generally good direction).

2) I will tell him and show him I love him often. I will give him sincere compliments when he does well.

3) I will make sure he knows what is expected of him and the results of meeting or not meeting those expectations.

4) I will get to know his friends and understand how important friendships are at this point in his life. I will let him be with his friends as much as possible without giving up precious family time.

5) I will trust him when I can and be honest with him when I can't. I will have filters on computers and phones that I will check regularly to keep my entire family safe.

6) I will do my best to make good judgments as a loving parent. I will give myself a break when things don't go the way I would like. I will learn from and admit my mistakes.

7) I will take responsibility for my actions and allow my teen to take responsibility for his. 

8) I will always remember how lucky I am to have him.

Do you have pointers for this new parent of a teen? What should I worry about? What should I let slide?