Raising teenagers has got to be THE hardest thing on the face of the planet for parents! And I admit it's not easy for the teen as well!

For the teen it's coming into your own learning new things pushing the envelope on what is right to see what you can get away with!

For the parent it's wanting more for your child than what you had and wanting them to miss the potholes you hit in life!

The clash is this, they want to experience it for themselves and we want them to miss the heartaches we've experienced!

My teenage daughter is at that place in her life! She thinks she knows everything and is coming into her own with her own decisions and actions!

She refuses to listen to reason and instruction and is at a very rebellious stage! She's ungrateful and and uses the phrase I think every teen uses, "I hate you".

She told me not too long ago that she didn't want me to be involved in her life! I didn't know how to deal with that! At first I was mad then upset then hurt then mad again!

After talking with my heavenly father I decided to grant her that request! I thought about my own life and how rebellious I was toward God! And even the one time I told God when I was younger to leave me alone!

So I gave my daughter some space and left her alone! I didn't ask her about her day, I didn't stick my nose in her business, I didn't go out of my way to be involved in her life!

She really seemed to like this new detatched relationship but it was killing me! I want to be involved in her life I want to know what's going on not because I'm a control freak but because I love her, I'm her Father and she's my child!

After a few days she came into my office and asked me for something! For the first time I told her no, I think that broke my heart more than it did hers!

I sat her down and told her that my absence from her life meant the abence of my blessings as well! She couldn't demand me to leave her alone and still want to have my blessings in her life!

My blessings come with my presence and my presence comes with my involvement in her life because I love her so much! But my presence comes with a cost and the payment is simply, repect and obedience!

Obedience doesn't mean she is going to be perfect it means she is going to do her best to live by the guidelines we set before her!

She sat there for a little bit and then said, Dad I understand! Those three words meant she had seen more than she wanted to!

It's the same thing with us, we must cooperate with our Heavenly Fathers involvement in our lives in order to have His blessings!

It's not putting up with God in order to get his blessings it's wanting His involvement in your life and understanding that with His involvement comes His blessings!

God is teaching me so much as a Father! I'm learning more everyday about the Love of God! He is so patient and loving with me and I'm learning to do that with my kids! Thank God for his unconditional love toward us!