A friend of mine whose son was a teenager when I was pregnant with my first child, told me, "It's a good thing they start as babies. No one would say, 'Honey, let's have a teenager.' "

Even if you're not the mom or dad of a teenager, you may have felt intimidated by them. But why?

I remember when I turned 13. I felt older, more important, more independent. My boundaries were expanding. I had more freedom from adult supervision. It was an exciting milestone. In some faiths and societies, age 13 is celebrated as a time of assuming greater responsibility in the community.

As my oldest son approached 13, however, other parents would shake their heads solemnly, as if they knew I was in deep trouble.

Because of my work as Exhibit Developer at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, I'm well aware of stereotypes about teenagers. But because of my desire to live my life in a more spiritual way, I turned to God to find something better.

Instead of accepting negative stereotypes as facts about teens, I decided that whenever one of these stereotypes came up, I would instead consider the spiritual identity that all of God's children have, whatever their age. I didn't accept that the teen years had to be a time when grace, peace, and balance would be absent from my son's life—or from my own and my husband's. I did my best to act in the spirit of this statement: "Let us rid ourselves of the belief that man is separated from God, and obey only the divine Principle, Life and Love. Here is the great point of departure for all true spiritual growth" (Science and Health, p. 91).

There is never a time when we are separated from God, who is the source of good. No matter what someone's age is, he or she cannot be cut off from the grace, peace, confidence, balance, and strength that are God's. Parents may worry that teenagers are not quite prepared for some of the freedoms and responsibilities that come with age. Whether they would ever admit it or not, teens themselves might be apprehensive.

At one point, my son described a friend of his who followed the crowd as having "no mind of his own." This is a common stereotype. But God is the true Mind, and, always linked to God, we are never Mind-less. The ability to reflect God's qualities is never limited by age. Teenagers are no less full of understanding, or intelligence, or good judgment, than adults—because each is the complete expression of divine Mind.

Teens do undergo rapid changes and growth—physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually. But in God's eyes, what is actually going on is growth under His loving and firm direction.

Considering the spiritual identity God has given us, I found I could see and appreciate in young people more of the humor and joy of divine Spirit, the exuberance and enthusiasm of divine Life. You'll find news reports that say teenagers want to make meaningful contributions, take more active volunteer roles in their communities. They are exhibiting the compassion of divine Love as they reach out and help others. These are examples of reflecting God's intelligence and expressing Him. Ability and creativity—often expressed as new talents—are qualities that always have their source in God.

Anyone who focuses on their unbreakable relationship to God and on the wonderful qualities that come from God will end up blessing the teenagers, and the adults, in their lives.