Being a Teen's Dad

So, my son Jaylen turned 13 years old last week. I woke up the morning of his 13th birthday filled with both excitement and tons of apprehension. What does it mean to be the parent of a teenager? Well, when I think of a 13 year-old Elijah I think of the awkwardness, the changes the body experiences(puberty), the inquisitive nature about things(girls), etc. While I feel like I had great teen years, I'm not sure how my parents dealt with it, especially with me being their first child and all. I heard someone say the other day that kids are different these days. I don't believe that one iota. I think times have changed, but kids are still the same. Yes, they have more technology at their fingertips, are exposed to a lot more on TV than we were, but kids are kids in my opinion. Kids listen to rap music filled with violence and misogyny today. I grew up listening to Tupac, Biggie, Snoop Dogg and a cast of others during Hip-Hop's heyday. Kids watch TV that can be considered violent and chock-full of sexually suggestive situations. We had those shows too, they were always on cable back then, but you can find them on "regular" TV now. Not much difference there. Kids are more prone to violence now, people will say. Actually, violent crime has decreased over the past decade. Kids may have more access to weapons now, but if we had had them as accessible, I'm quite sure more people would have been shot at. I think that speaks to less of a willingness to fight and the cowardice of children raised without decent male role models-but that's for another blog! Kids today are dealing with the epidemic of 'bullying' and the attention it has garnered. We had bullies, but we also were raised to stand-up for ourselves and never felt ostracized like I guess some of the victims of incessant bullying feel. We also weren't subject to bullying via social-media and other forms of technological outlets. I feel like the topic of sex isn't taboo being that I've been talking to my son about it for a few years now. I'd like for him to be equipped with knowledge that I didn't have at that age(not like I needed it) being that sex seems to be everywhere.

All in all, I guess my worries are common place. I worry about his education, college affordability and the fact that college loans are the largest area of debt for people these days, surpassing medical bills (hopefully Obamacare will rectify some of that,Yay Obamacare!). He's 4 years away from his college freshman year, and I know I can't afford that currently. I worry about how he views the world and how the surrounding world views him. I know he'll have a lot a questions as he grows and matures-at least until he hits the phase where he thinks he "knows it all". Gosh, I remember going through that phase too. How did my parents ever deal? Not looking forward to that. All in all, I hope I'm prepared to help guide my son through these upcoming teen years. It can be a tough road to slog. So, what does it mean to be the parent of a teenager I still wonder? I guess I could always pick up the phone and give my parents a call, after all-I think they may have some expertise in this area.