There is something profoundly Christian about that kind of sacrifice. Jesus did not save us from a safe distance. He gave Himself. Scripture continually calls believers toward an other centered love that notices the vulnerable, bears burdens, serves, sacrifices, and stays when staying becomes costly. So I do not want to begin by telling exhausted caregivers they are doing something wrong because they are tired. Sometimes fatigue is evidence that something costly has actually been given.

One of the strange things about parenting teenagers is that we spend years teaching them to listen to us, and then they reach an age when almost every other voice sounds more interesting. A friend says something, and it carries weight. An influencer says it, and suddenly it is worth considering. Then artificial intelligence arrives with an additional advantage: it is available at two in the morning, and it is extraordinarily difficult to annoy. I can type something into AI that is mediocre and somehow receive a response that makes me feel like I may have just solved Western civilization. Imagine how appealing that can be to a teenager still figuring out who they are.

Sometimes I look at one of my kids and wonder what in the world they are doing. I mean that lovingly, of course, but parenting includes plenty of moments when the person in front of you seems to be operating from a plan nobody else received. What we discussed on the Celebrate Kids Podcast makes that question more interesting. Researchers studying the hippocampus have found patterns of neural activity that appear to help the brain simulate possible routes toward a goal. In other words, the brain does not simply remember where it has been. It appears capable of rehearsing where it might go.