Michelle Duggar on How She Embarrasses Her Teens

Parentables

I recently wrote about how my husband Jim Bob and I try to help the kids through adolescence, when their bodies change and they're struggling with new emotions. But one of the things that also happens during the teen years is that everything is embarrassing for them.

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It can be something as basic as, "Oh man, my hair isn't right!" or "These sunglasses just don't match. This is so embarrassing." And I'm like, "Oh come on!"

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The other day I was with my older daughters on the way to an event. We were driving down the interstate in San Antonio, stuck in traffic. Finally the traffic picked up and we were driving along when my daughter said, "Mom, isn't that our friend Randy?"

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And I said, "Oh, you're right!" So here we are in a city we're unfamiliar with, driving in the traffic, and we see this friend that we love and have connected with in the past, right beside us on the interstate. I think it's so cool and can't believe he's right next to us. So I lean over my daughter (who's driving) and start honking the horn over and over and waving to get his attention.

Meanwhile the girls are saying, "Mom don't do that! That is so embarrassing!!!"And he's not looking over because he's thinking that the honking isn't for him -- he's driving the speed limit not doing anything unusual. So I keep waving and honking, and at that point I think the girls were just sliding down the seat.

He finally looked over and realized it was us trying to get his attention. We ended up getting together with him and his wife for dinner and had such a fun time visiting. The kids were embarrassed about me honking the horn for about half of a mile, but I was tickled about it because we wouldn't have met up with them otherwise.

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