My children and I became obsessed with Hamilton when it came out on Disney+ in the summer of 2020. We needed something enjoyable to hold onto. I am a history buff and love musicals, and I couldn’t believe I had never seen the show before. I became a fast fan.
Fast forward a few years, and we know every verse. This is a bit of a corny blog post, but I honestly find myself using lines from Broadway when parenting teens, making me so uncool to them.
Here is how I parent teens through Hamilton lyrics.
“I want to be in the room where it happens.”
I can’t complain; I was the exact same way; my teens want to completely live in their bedrooms. When my husband and I were house hunting, I made sure each child had their own bedroom. I spent many years sharing a room with my older sister (hi Jaime!) and hated it (no surprise, she knows this). I needed my space. But now, with my own kids, I want interaction. I want to be in there, in the room where it happens, and plop on the floor and be all, watcha doing? Please connect with me!
“Do you have a clue what happens now?”
My oldest is now 18! Wow! He has an attitude of adultness and independence, which is awesome but scary for Momma. Do you know what is going to happen next year? When you are off and gone? I need to help you get ready so you don’t go out in the world clueless about reality.
“Wait for it.”
The mom joy of teaching patience is a lesson in our own patience. I always thought this life lesson would be completed by the end of toddlerhood, but it continues well into the teen years. I know adults who constantly want immediate gratification, and I don’t want my children to think it’s normal. The age of phones and online life makes this lesson more challenging to teach, so we have to be resilient! My fifteen-year-old has been on a puzzle kick again; it’s an easy way to nurture patience.
“Soon that attitude may be your doom!”
Stop it with that sassy mouth! And by singing doom, I mean the natural consequences of their actions. There is a science behind this and how we should effectively communicate with our teens, but boy, that attitude can boil you up. This is where I have to show my kids that I have this so-called patience I’m trying to teach them, and I do not blow up at them when I feel the urge to. Don’t get me wrong, that does happen some days, but I do my best not to respond to their off-cuff remarks with my own.
