Teens: Is it weird if I am always reading parenting blogs and articles?

I don’t think it is weird at all! I did the same thing when I was your age and I’m even doing it now, to keep up with trends because my children are starting to talk marriage as adults!

For me, my interest has always been genuine, as yours seems to be. I have always wanted to be the best mom. Now I want to be the best mom-friend to my grown kids and their special people. When the time comes, I want to be the best grandma to our little ones. It is, indeed, interesting how people raise their kids in all sorts of ways and have different beliefs and methods for dealing with challenges. You sound like a very insightful person.

Want some advice? Don’t stop! You are learning the most important stuff you will ever use in life, from the best teachers. Most of all, you’re reading! (Busted! I’m an English teacher!) When the time comes for you to have kids of your own, you will have a very good foundation for learning more through experience. You’ll know what might happen if you do this or that, and you’ll make informed decisions. Your friends who are not reading up on this stuff will come to you for advice, which is a lot of fun! Maybe you won’t be fearful of the crazy things that happen to all parents at one time or another; wouldn’t that be great?! Confidence in parenting is very important, since children derive their sense of safety from parents who are calm and can deal with life without freaking out.

That all said, one thing I caution you about is monitoring your feelings about having kids when you are so young. It is great that you want to be a parent: you’re learning about it and you’re taking the responsibility seriously. If you aren’t very careful about what is going on in your thoughts, though, you may become a parent way too soon. That is not a good thing at all–not for you, the other parent, or for a child.

So enjoy learning, but be sure you are not “gah gah” for babies. I can speak from experience. I have sons and daughters, and I can’t imagine my life without them all. When they were little, I wished they were born with pause buttons! It is much better to be a parent who has earning power and some life experiences than to be a 20-year-old parent in a bad marriage without a college education, a steady job, skills for the workplace, or a way to provide for the child you spent your childhood dreaming of having someday.

from a loving mom who knows