Growing pains- mine

I had an epiphany the other day... I like that word, epiphany, it's fun to say.  I understand why people tell young mothers "You're going to miss these days" or "just wait until you have teenagers" or "you should enjoy every moment"- oh wait I still don't get that last one, Enjoy every sweaty, sour milk, stinky diaper, screaming in the night, tantrum in the store moment? Really? Nope don't get that. Anyway...
I do miss my kids being small, I didn't think I would, much, because I enjoy watching them grow and turn into people, that have thoughts and can interact with adults.  What I miss is being able to solve their problems! Babies and small children take huge amounts of physical energy (I think that's why I've developed a sweating phobia- I was hot and sweaty all the time when the boys were little) and mental fortitude- if you can get through the nights of screaming- you can do anything.  Right? 
 But teenagers are harder.  They are. On my emotions, and on my "good mom" meter.  In my opinion I did good with my little ones, right now I have no idea if I'm succeeding or not. That gauge changes moment by moment.  I think I have pretty great teenagers, so really I'm not complaining, just stating a fact.  They are hard to comprehend,  they have emotions, and hormones and opinions and impulse control problems.  And it takes awhile to realize, you can't solve their problems- you just can't!  You can watch the mistakes they make and try to correct and guide them, but you can't stop them from making the mistake.  It's not easy to drag a kicking screaming five year old out of a store but it can be done. That solution doesn't work as well with a devastated teenager. I'm just crossing my fingers and hanging on to the hope that I will someday have as many funny teenage survival stories to tell as the toddler stories we have.