Mothering Teens

I read this article in the Above Rubies magazine and I just had to share it. I felt like it was so encouraging to those mothers who have invested so much time into their little ones, only to have them grow up and maybe feel not so "needed" anymore.
Mothering Teens
Have you noticed that as your children grow older, the questions begin: where are you going to go back to work? pursue your career? get a degree? or (fill in the blank)?
It is much easier for others to accept an at-home mother of young children. After all, that is when children need their mother the most, right?
It is easy for many mothers to buy into the notion that their older children no longer need them as much and to feel justified in abandoning their post at home. While socierty may tell you that a teenager no longer need you, I believe the opposite is true.
I think they need you more!
Many times I think that being their mother when they were small was easier. I enjoyed their undivided love and attention. I kept them safely by my side, guiding and nurturing their every move. As they grow and begin to develop their own personalities, make their own choices and decisions, and discover their own walk with the Lord apart from me, I am learning the fine art of letting go, yet holding strong.
Because of the feminist and humanistic attack on family, the values of our culture are slipping farther away from God's model every day. This makes my role as a mother critical in the life of my children through ALL the stages of their lives, not just when they are babies and toddler.
I must become a stronger warrior!
When my teens were small, I often protected them from getting hurt physically. Now I protect them from getting hurt emotionally and spiritually by a cruel world that wants to rob their innocence and steal their soul.
The older they get, the bigger the war is waged against them, and a stronger warrior I need to become!
As they grow and their circle of influence widens, they need the council of their mother even more to help guide their lives in the right direction. Just as there were dangers to protect them from when they were little, there are dangers to protect them from when they are older. Just as there are lessons to be taught when they were three, there are lessons to be taught at 13, 15, and 18. The lessons may change, but the need for proper protection, care, and guidance never changes. I cannot imagine abandoning my children at such a pivotal time in their lives!
If a mother is at her post as an unwavering watch tower over her children's hearts, minds, and souls I wonder whether we would be dealing with that "age of rebellion." A mother who doesn't leave her post can quickly remove any seeds of rebellion that are sown into their lives, because she is there-watching, guiding, and praying.
If you are a mother of older children, you are still needed=maybe more than ever-to guard the gates, mend the fences, and continue to teach, protect, and guide your children.
Motherhood is a lifetime job-always changing, but never stopping. God didn't designate you to be your children's mother until they reach a certain age, but He called you to be their mother for LIFE. It is a high and noble calling and I don't we should surrender our post too quickly.