No more teenagers....

I can remember when my children were infants, I would say, "If only they were toddlers, then I wouldn't have to worry about things like SIDS"...when they were toddler's I would say, "If only they were in school, I wouldn't have to worry about them sticking things in electrical outlets and possibly electrocuting themselves"....once in school, I would say, "If only they were teenagers, they could drive themselves to all of these endless activities" (which I now miss, by the way)....then as teenagers, I would say, "If only they were adults, I wouldn't have to worry about their driving anymore"....Well, I am happy to say that I'm not the "worry wart" that I used to be, I have learned through the years to commit them to God and allow Him to be their front line parent. However, today is my baby boy's birthday and a major milestone for him as he exits his teenage years...and I'm just a little sad about it....I know I am an absolute weirdo, but of all the age categories, I love teenagers! I find them absolutely fascinating and I see this time in their life as such an opportunity to teach, mentor, and minister to them. My life is not filled with many "if only's" anymore but I tend to emit more "Praise God" that they've made it this far with very little scrapes, nicks, and heartaches...My thoughts are also filled now with "What if"....there is a constant mystery to life now as I anticipate how God will use my children in the future. That said, ""Happy 20th Birthday son!"