Hi Kathleen - I hurt for you - having been through it myself. My three children were raised the same (church, morals, discipline, every advantage but not overly indulged) but are all so totally different - each choosing their own way.
The hardest was when my youngest, my son, began changing in high school, though gifted, refusing to do the work and failing. Getting into petty crimes and trouble with the "wrong" gangs. The hardest two things were having to watch him in court get shackled and sent to jail for a petty crime for refusing to do the community service (absolutely refused and CHOSE to go to jail - sometimes I think just to hurt me) - and the second hardest was watching him drive off with that Enlistment Officer as he went off to the Army (again his choice, against my begging and I would swear it was to hurt me). He spent a year in Iraq and all I could do was pray. Actually that's all any of us can do - is turn our children over to the Lord and PRAY. My son came home safely and while being blown up (twice) had conversations with God that he won't discuss too much today except to say that he learned some things and one of the things he learned is that he should listen to me more. Best gift God could have given me.
Point is our Lord and Father was hurt by the things we did but loved us anyway - we are hurt by the things our children do but love them anyway.
It's been a choice since man was created - it's all about the choice - and thank GOD we can change our minds and our ways with His help. We've changed - our children can change. Thanks be to God.
The hardest was when my youngest, my son, began changing in high school, though gifted, refusing to do the work and failing. Getting into petty crimes and trouble with the "wrong" gangs. The hardest two things were having to watch him in court get shackled and sent to jail for a petty crime for refusing to do the community service (absolutely refused and CHOSE to go to jail - sometimes I think just to hurt me) - and the second hardest was watching him drive off with that Enlistment Officer as he went off to the Army (again his choice, against my begging and I would swear it was to hurt me). He spent a year in Iraq and all I could do was pray. Actually that's all any of us can do - is turn our children over to the Lord and PRAY. My son came home safely and while being blown up (twice) had conversations with God that he won't discuss too much today except to say that he learned some things and one of the things he learned is that he should listen to me more. Best gift God could have given me.
Point is our Lord and Father was hurt by the things we did but loved us anyway - we are hurt by the things our children do but love them anyway.
It's been a choice since man was created - it's all about the choice - and thank GOD we can change our minds and our ways with His help. We've changed - our children can change. Thanks be to God.
