A big ol’ thank you to those of you who got out and voted yesterday. It wasn’t that bad, was it? Now you’ve only got to do it for 8 more days! Just GO HERE and vote Mom 2 Mom Connection in the Weblog Awards Best Blog Design category. I’ve had several of you email me and say you couldn’t vote for some reason. Bummer.

Even my own husband came home and said he couldn’t vote for me — it said he’d already voted — but it had been over 36 hours. So, all I can say is keep trying! ANYWAY! This is kind of exciting — reminds me of a horse race or something.

Right now, we’re WAY behind the first place blog, but we’re neck-in-neck for second. I have to thank Sgt. Hook who has endorsed me in his blog. Now, if you haven’t voted in the Best Military Blog category yet, you know who to vote for. He told me his blog is also designed by Lisa Sabin of Elegant Webscapes, who is currently running a free blog design contest for New Year’s!

Here’s what Sgt. Hook wrote this morning, the 64th anniversary of Pearl Harbor:

The Greatest Generation are passing at an alarming rate. I shudder to think what our world might be like today had not these brave men and women answered the call to duty. Thank you for what you have done for this nation and the world.

Today we ought to take a moment and remember that infamous day the world changed drastically. I’ve been to Pearl Harbor, visited the USS Arizona, walked the line on Wheeler Airfield, visited the cemetaries where our fallen heroes rest. Words escape me as I attempt to describe the energy one feels visiting that hallowed ground. National Geographic has an excellent multimedia presentation marking this auspicious day. We’ll wait a few moments of your time as we remember the Greatest Generation. (Sgt Hook out.)

So, as the Sgt. says, “I encourage everyone to vote. You can vote in each category once during a 24-hour period…so let’s get out and vote. That’s an order Soldiers!”

He says to “Get out and vote, and that’s an order!” So, do it!

NOW, SOME ADVICE ON RAISING TEENS (NOT FROM ME!)
I don’t have any teens in the house yet — but this is a topic I’m always interested in. Several of you have entered Mom 2 Mom Connection lately because you’re googling “Devotions for Teenagers.” If any of you have any specific links to devotions for teens, please send them my way and help out some of these people. (I do recommend the book over there to the left in my sidebar, What Really Counts for Students, especially since some of my devotions are in there!)

As for me, I feel the teen years are where the rubber meets the road, and it’s why I’m always trying to hang around moms who ARE raising or who HAVE raised teens who they enjoy being around. Teenagers who are not rebellious, but are instead leading pure walks with Christ. Now, while they’re still under age 20.

I know a handful of moms of teenagers who I can’t spend enough time with. They’re all about ten years older than me. And there’s something special, unique about their teens. They have a friendly countenance. They don’t act nervous and bored around me — they smile and look me in the eye and call me m’am (which we like here in the South — I’ve gotten over the “feeling old” part – because I AM getting older!)

My friend down the road who has this houseful of teen boys tells me, “Keep a tight rein when they’re young, so you’ll have something to loosen up on when they get to be teens.” Wait a minute — this goes against all those hundreds of baby and toddler magazines I’ve been getting that say, “Kids should have freedom to do what they want. Let them explore their glorious boundaries, and give them lots of choices.”

Choices! My neighbor gives her sons more choices now that they’re teens. She tells me the most rebellious they’ve gotten is that one of them didn’t want to wear shorts this summer — so he wore pants even when it was burning up hot. Big deal. One year, her boys said they were tired of piano lessons, and she said, “Well, let’s keep going one more year.” So they did. And now they’re thanking her. When they’ve come to visit, they perform extraordinary piano concertos, the likes of which have never been heard around here. THAT’S WHAT I WANT! (And they’re also smart, excel at playing chess and basketball, are avid scientists, and I must say — not a bit wimpy!)

In contrast, last weekend, we shopped at Toys R Us, and guess what we saw lined up on one huge wall. Bright, colorful, trendy…TV SETS. For kids! Does YOUR child have a TV set in his or her room? Please email or comment and tell me why. I’m very curious. Is there anything closer to inviting the devil to come right on into your child’s bedroom?

What do you THINK comes on TV after 11 pm? Clifford? Barney? Of course not. Especially if you have satellite or cable. You have no idea what they’re sneaking up to watch with the volume turned down — and don’t fool yourself into thinking they don’t watch TV while you’re asleep — if they can turn it on by themselves, they WILL.

Here are some moms who HAVE raised godly teens — or are in the process. I look up to these families so much!

Susan Alexander Yates — She’s the author of my all-time favorite parenting book, And Then I Had Kids. She also has one called And Then I Had Teenagers. I think she knows what she’s talking about because her five kids all grew up well and are writing their own books now.

Spunky — you’ve GOT to read her post Don’t Bend the Wire. It’s the most inspiring thing I’ve read lately. Her teenage son, while eating four Arby’s roast beef sandwiches, waxed an eloquent point on why parents should stay the course and show their kids they care by giving them boundaries — “Just say no, Mom!” (Really — if you don’t have time to follow any more links, you’ve GOT to read this post — especially if you’re a mom of a teen!)

The Maxwells — I have the book they co-wrote, Managers of Their Homes. And I receive their free monthly newsletter — which is the perfect dose of godly parenting insight I need every month. OK, anyone who can raise and homeschool eight children has my vote for having her act together. Both Steve and Terri Maxwell write columns every month. Now their sons and daughters are also columnists. Keep it coming. They go against the flow, and I love reading what they have to say.

Carmen Rockett — she has a new blog, Full Contact, Christ-Centric Living, and is in the process of raising a house full of children, including teens she enjoys being around. She enjoys posting poetry, so if you like to write poems, you’ll love her site. Her post on balancing love with discipline is a great one, as well as her recent one on reading aloud — in which she includes many of her family’s favorite books.

Focus on the Family — anything by this organization. You can’t argue with James Dobson when you see what his grown daughter and son are out doing — speaking and writing, sharing their faith. Dr. Dobson is my modern-day hero.

I could list tons more…but I’ll let you do it for me. If you’re familiar with any authors or other people who inspire you in the process of raising children who don’t rebel as teens, please send them my way, via email or comments.

And — as you shop for Christmas presents, think LONG-TERM character growth. For example, I don’t like some of the clothing on dolls today, and I refuse to buy anything like those repulsive Bratz dolls, with sultry make-up and skin-tight clothing. (Why, oh why, does Mattel make dolls like that? Can’t little girls be little girls anymore?)

[Note: This post has been edited.]