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written by: Daniel Currie
editing and proofreading by: Jacasa Currie
First, we would like to thank our loyal readers who have continued supporting Guiding Teenagers. We thank you whether you are a new reader, have been here since the beginning, or are somewhere in between. You are all so valuable to us, and we appreciate all of you.
We are reaching out in Special Edition Blog to catch you up to speed since our last blog a few months back. Consider this GuidingTennager's State of the Union Message from us to our faithful readers and listeners. In this article, we'll discuss why we've been dark for the past four months and what is to come for GuidingTeenagers. That said, sit down, strap in, and get ready because here we go!
Table of Contents
GT Went Dark?
In July and August 2024, unforeseen, unavoidable issues that greatly affected GuidingTeenagers began to surface. Certain aspects of our personal lives have begun changing drastically, significant to us and how we handle the website. This directly impacted the site and our ability to provide the quality information and attention to detail that you've come to expect in our GuidingTeenagers Blogs and Mashups.
Many roadblocks caused us to step away from laptops and computers for a hot minute until we took care of ourselves and our families. These matters were enough for us to take a step back and reflect to ensure we were practicing what we preached. For example, we never thought we would find ourselves in certain situations, such as divorce.
Piercing The Veil
As extraneous as that can be on a family, teenagers, and many others, for our teens to have the best outcome and success, sometimes the parents need to step away after exhausting all avenues and be humble in admitting it is no longer healthy for each other—especially exposing teens to toxicity constantly. Additionally, when parents are no longer getting along, and there is no resolution in sight, even after genuinely trying and using all available resources, it is time to consider the devastating possibility that it wasn't meant to be.
It is never a healthy environment when children or teens of any age witness arguments and observe no resolve between their parents. That being said, over time, it can become a toxic environment in which it is best for everybody that a divorce be the best course of action when there is no good alternative.
When a relationship reaches that point, it is one of the few great anomalies where it may be necessary to separate for the benefit of everyone. By doing this, being humble, and perhaps even admitting defeat, everyone involved can continue their neverending pursuit of love, happiness, and inner peace. We allowed closure and forward-thinking by permitting one chapter of our lives to close so another, happier, less stress-filled chapter could begin.
Road to Recovery
Under no circumstance should a divorce or separation be considered unless absolutely necessary, and the benefits of separation are greater for all family members, not just the parents. Unfortunately, this was the case, and we have all begun moving on with our road to recovery.
Moving on is not without its difficulties and monumental challenges. Everything from a simple daily routine to new towns, workforces, schools, and living arrangements gets jostled. Naturally, that is highly stressful and a tough transition mentally, emotionally, and physically for anyone. Hence, the decision to move forward with a divorce or separation should not be taken lightly; the consequences are devastating.
Family dynamics change as well, sometimes for the good but many times for the bad, as bonds between the family break, new people come in, connections change, and the future feels very uncertain. This can be traumatic for children and teens, making it vital for the parents to handle their issues as civilly as possible and critically keep the children and teens out of their problems.
Looking Forward
With all of that said, there have been many reasons for a brief hiatus, but, as stated earlier, we wanted to ensure we practiced what we preached. We must reflect and contemplate our stance because of our strong moral values regarding this brand, GuidingTeenagers. Now it's time to look forward and reveal GuidingTeenagers' future.
The last few blogs posted were back in mid-summer, and as most of you know, we welcomed Jacasa from Blooming Thoughts aboard. She has been a great addition to our team, offering a different, positive perspective with a wealth of knowledge and education to back it. Although Jacasa does not have children of her own, she has a wealth of experience working with children as a teacher's aide and various field experiences during college. Additionally, she is three semesters away from her bachelor's degree in childhood education, with the ambition and dream of becoming an elementary teacher. Her education and first-hand experience grant her the expertise she uses to write blogs for both us and her personal blog, Blooming Thoughts.
As mentioned, this is a State of the GT Message. What good is a State of the Union-type message without an announcement? This directly affects our blog, so we felt it important to tell you all. Writing this blog has allowed us to get to know each other in ways we never imagined. Although this may be hard to understand for some readers who have been with us since Jacasa's debut (and even before), we cannot go any longer without this coming to your attention.
The Announcement
Going forward, both of us will still be running GuidingTeenagers; nothing is changing in that regard. The key difference is that we are no longer co-bloggers writing in parallel but now as a blogging couple with a strong sense of duty and passion in raising teens. Overall, it will not change much for most of you personally, and you may not notice anything different.
Jacasa, known for her blogs at Blooming Thoughts, and Dan, known for his blogs on this site and formerly CurlyStache Blogs, originally joined forces as guest bloggers for each other's blogs. We discovered our morals and outlooks on life aligned perfectly and began working more closely. We then found it best to become business partners, running GuidingTeenagers in tandem.
We continued to work closely and found we were becoming more than business partners. Our philosophies, ethics, passions, and beliefs were unmistakably in sync. This led us to explore what else there could be besides blogging, one of the many hobbies that we share. With that, we took a leap of faith and began a journey together as a couple, embracing life as one. For some of our readers who know us personally, we understand the difficulty of the change. We only ask for your respect in our decision, which has brought us great peace and happiness.
State of The GuidingTeenagers Message: Conclusion
We look forward to this new chapter in our lives together, continuing to build and contribute to the GuidingTeenagers community with your help! We look forward to a new season, Season 5, officially in January 2025. We will kick off an all-new season filled with exciting content and podcasts, including full-length blogs, our hit Mashups, and a few series blogs. Stay tuned for the latest! Subscribe for email notifications on our newest blog posts. Follow us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and Instagram for the latest news, memes, Dad jokes, and, of course, when we drop our newest blogs! See you all next month!
Truly,
Dan & Jacasa
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Originally Written on: December 9, 2024