Have you seen this movie? We Bought A Zoo. I love it, and I think about it way too much😆 When I first watched it I was right in the middle of my first taste of teenage tension between father and son. Q was probably 12-13. It was crazy. We were always so close and then BAM, here’s this sudden onset weirdness.

In the scene behind this quote the dad and son are having a breakthrough. Son shared something troubling him. Dad shared some great advice. The son looks at a Tiger who’s dying in a cage in front of them, he knows his dad is feeling crappy because he can’t save the animal. He tells his dad “You did your best, dad. He knows that.” It was nice. But it wasn’t about the tiger. It was about the dad and son. The son is telling the dad “I KNOW YOU’RE DOING YOUR BEST.”

I think our teenagers get it a lot better than we give them credit for. All the talk about frontal lobes sometimes has us treating teens like they’re incapable. No shot. They know we’re trying. They don’t always know how to say it but they appreciate it. They’re sharp. They’re loving. They’re compassionate. And parents, so are we. And it’s ok for them to teach us every once in a while.

I think if our teens could better articulate it they’d say “It’s hard raising parents.” They’d be right.

Hey, btw the advice in this meme / from the dad played by Matt Damon is so stinkin good! 20 secs of courage. So many times that’s all we need. 20 secs of courage to say what we need to say. Or say no to being over-obligated. Or say no to temptation. Or say YES to the Lord leading you to do something that everyone else would think is crazy. But they don’t have to do it. You do. And it all may start with 20 secs of courage.

Thanks for letting me share. Love y’all.