The Making of a Parent

Lately, many teens have been struggling with their relationship to their parents. Decisions that mom or dad make may annoy teens, and they are searching for a way out or a way to change their parents.

Sometimes, however, it’s more important to understand how the situation developed than it is to change it. Sometimes, you cannot change your circumstances, which is what we saw Sunday evening in the story of David’s relationship with his son, Absalom (2 Samuel 13-18).

Although David was a great man, with many great accomplishments, he appeared to have difficulty being successful at parenting Absalom. However, when we look into David's past, we find that many major things took place in his life before he ever became a father. Those things formed the man he became. Those circumstances formed his reasonings for his rules to Absalom.

Possibly, all Absalom thought was, "These stupid rules are ridiculous." However, David's perception of life and past experiences caused the rules to have reasons.

How can you deal with difficult rules? Walk with your parents awhile. Try to understand what caused these rules to become important to them. Maybe the end result will be that they'll lighten up a bit...or maybe you'll see the importance of them, and come to appreciate your parents more.