Teens and Expiration Dates

When I was a teen, I didn’t think about the possibility of losing a family member. Parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins—and often even grandparents—don't appear to have expiration dates. It’s easy to think they'll always be around. Just like they are now. 

Until they're not. 

Then we might wish we'd played more with a sibling or cousin or sat down more often with a parent for a chat. I often wish I had listened more, thanked more, offered to help more, and even written down the words and experiences of loved ones that were unique to them. 

So, let me share an idea. At a family meal, wouldn't it be great for children and teens to say out loud something special about a loved one at the table? And if it happens to be Thanksgiving, thank him or her for it! 

Children and teens could also write down in advance something they appreciate about every person who would be present. Then they could take turns making someone else feel loved. While they still can. 

After the first person at the table receives a compliment, the next child or teen can choose another person on his or her list, so that everyone receives appreciation for being who they are.

Someday children will be teens and teens will be adults, grateful for being noticed as having an expiration date that only God knows.

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About the author:

Cynthia writes for preteens and teens because she wants them to know how wonderful, powerful, and valuable God made them. Her novels employ hope and humor to address some of the serious issues young people encounter. She is the author of the Bird Face contemporary series, including 8 Notes to a Nobody, 10 Steps to Girlfriend Status, 6 Dates to Disaster, and 3 Things to Forget. The first volume, in its original title of Bird Face, won a Moonbeam Children’s Book Award.

Her first coming-of-age historical, The Other Side of Freedom, received numerous literary awards: Catholic Press Association (CPA) Book Awards for Children's Books, Third Place (2018), Children's Literary Classics Book Awards: Gold Winner for Upper Middle Grade in both General and Historical Fiction (2018), Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards: First Place for Outstanding Fiction, Children/Juvenile and Second Place for Fiction Book of the Year (2018), Next Generation Indie Book Awards: First Place for Children's/Juvenile Fiction and Grand Prize for Fiction (2018), Reader's Favorite Gold Medal for Children's/Pre-teen Coming-of-age (2018), and Purple Dragonfly Award First Place in e-books Historical Fiction (2019)!

Cynthia has contributed short stories to the award-winning Catholic Teen Books anthologies Secrets: Visible & Invisible, Gifts: Visible & Invisible, and Ashes: Visible & Invisible. Cynthia has been a member of Catholic Writers Guild since she first began to write fiction for teens. She has a passion for rescuing dogs and lives with her husband and several canines in the friendly South.