Coming-of-age celebrations are a powerful tool to use when raising teenagers.
If you’re not sure what a coming-of-age celebration is, you are in for a treat! A coming-of-age celebration is a special occasion where you invite all of the important people in your teen’s life to come together, celebrate your teen, and offer words of wisdom.
My son Noah turned 13 this past summer, and we hosted one of these celebrations. We invited all the important men in his life, and they all went on a backpacking trip together to the Sawtooth Mountains near our home.
It was an incredible experience for him. He was able to adventure with his Dad, his birth dad, both of his grandpas, his birth mom’s father, four of his uncles, and his sixteen-year-old cousin.
He pushed himself to his physical limits on the difficult hike, and then he was rewarded with two magical nights of camping, fishing, jumping off cliffs, and evening talks around the campfire.
I hope this will become a core memory in his life.
I first heard of coming-of-age celebrations many years ago when I was an editor for the Power of Moms in an article submitted by Jennifer Brimhall. Jennifer’s article struck me to the heart and has affected me all these years.
Jennifer came on the show, teaching us all about the power of coming-of-age rituals for our teenagers.
Jennifer is a mother of five children. She is the founder of Raise the Good, a website for parents where she curates resources to help them educate the hearts, as well as the minds, of their children.
Referring to coming-of-age celebrations, Jennifer said: “In our quest to raise children who become contributors to the world and to help them avoid typical teen angst and destructive behaviors, my husband and I decided this was something we wanted to implement in our family.”
Coming-of-age celebrations are powerful!
I feel so grateful that I got to talk with Jennifer about three reasons for holding a coming-of-age celebration for your teen. Let’s dive into our conversation!
3 Reasons to Hold a Coming-of-Age Celebration for Your Teen:
1. Coming-of-age celebrations are an opportunity to formally recognize transition points.
Recognizing transition points is important for your teen, and it’s also important for you! It’s a time for your teen to understand that the bar of expectation is being raised as they step into this new phase, and it’s a time for you to recognize that your teen is growing up. As moms, it can be hard to let go, but we need to prepare them for adulthood, which starts with recognizing (and celebrating!) that they aren’t a little child anymore.
The age you choose to do this coming-of-age celebration is up to you, but whatever age that is, you are giving your teen the outward signal that it’s time to grow into new responsibilities.
2. Coming-of-age celebrations reinforce responsibility and maturity.
Growing up comes with greater responsibility, and it also comes with more privileges. Coming-of-age celebrations help us set a standard for the type of adults we see our teens becoming. As they hear advice and stories from adults and older teens who love them, we set them up to strive beyond popular social media trends and teenage drama. We also help teach them that the privileges of adulthood they’re looking forward to come with responsibility and maturity. We teach them that maturity is more than just getting older; it’s character-based.
3. Coming-of-age celebrations build connections and bridge the generation gap.
Coming-of-age celebrations create beautiful bonding. Grandparents share the principles of life that have shaped them. Older cousins share words of wisdom. Uncles and aunts share what they’ve learned. It’s a powerful coming together that blends activities and inspiration focused on your teen and their great potential.
Save this summary to Pinterest so you can use it later! 👇
What did you think of Jen’s takeaways for coming-of-age celebrations? How do celebrate with your teen as they grow up? Comment below!
***
Related Episodes like this one on Coming-of-Age Celebrations:
- 211: Raising Independent Teens and Tweens // Amy and Margaret from What Fresh Hell Podcast
- 303: How to Talk to Teenagers // Brooke Romney
- 358: Creating Golden Moments with Teenagers // Saren Eyre Loosli
Mentioned in the Episode:
- Parenting Teens Playlist
- Wild Things by Stephen James and David Thomas
- RaisingRealMen.com
- Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife (therapist)
About our Guest:
Jennifer is a mother of five children. She is the founder of Raise the Good, a website for parents where she curates resources to help them educate the hearts, as well as the minds, of their children.
Get in Touch with Our Guest:
-
- Website: Raise the Good
- IG: @raisethegood
- E-Book: The Coming-of-Age Celebration Guidebook
- Learn more about Jen’s daughter’s Coming-of-Age Celebration here.
- Learn more about Jen’s son’s Coming-of-Age Celebration here.
Sponsors:
- Earth Breeze: Go to earthbreeze.com/3in30 for 40% off your subscription now.
- Quince: Go to Quince.com/3in30 for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.
- Vionic Shoes: Go to vionicshoes.com and use code 3IN30 for 15% off your order.
- BetterHelp: 3 in 30 Takeaways for Moms is sponsored by BetterHelp. Go to betterhelp.com/3in30 to get 10% off your first month of online therapy.
