A Lesson on Teen Development from a Dog

I recently watched a video posted by the owners of a female black labrador retriever who they took to an outdoor restaurant where they were grabbling a meal. The video showed the dog choosing to sit on a separate couch, all the way at the end, facing the opposite direction from it’s owners while acting like she didn’t want to have anything to do with them. The owners posted, “Our moody teenager who sat herself as far away as she possibly could from her parents. The nerve of this girl.” I chuckled a bit as we all remember our own teenage years and our desire, from time to time to NOT be seen with our parents. It’s known as individuation, which is a normal developmental process where our kids want to develop their own sense of self and independence from their parents. But parents, realize this, they are still watching you. Your presence and influence are more important than ever, as you model and teach what it means to live as a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.