Klicky Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 As of 12:20 AM today I am the mother of a teenager. 8:34 AM. So far, so good. Of course, he's been on the bus since 7:00, so the past hour and a half has been a breeze. Any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silva Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 Congrats! My advice is that teenagers can't help being teenagers and the degree of disrespect, laziness and selfishness can be moderate or extreme. I really hope you get the former! I had one of each and it was hard work but they both emerged as fully functioning adults at the end of it all. The extreme one now has children of her own and is a wonderfully caring daughter, wife and mother! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perfect7 Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 Congratulations! I have three teenagers at the moment (17, 16, and 14) and will have a fourth before the oldest turns 20. They aren't as bad as people say, in my experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenB Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 I've never had children, but since I was a teenager only about 2 years ago, I think I can offer you some advice : Just do your best. Be confident in your choices and if you are ever doubting yourself, don't be afraid to ask for help. I think it's very important to make a child involved in their discipline. Making sure to explain your actions to your teen is very important so they can understand why they are being treated a certain way etc. So many people do it every day, I'm sure you'll be just fine. We have your back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knchatty Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 Great advice everyone, and congrats on being a parent to a teenager. Being a parent is the hardest job there is, but also the most fulfilling job too. I have a teenage daughter and I won't lie, it's tough! Hormones ~ They are enough to make me want to pull out my hair. I don't remember ever being so hormonal or drama filled at my daughter's age. The best advice I can give is to be there always, be supportive, listen, give advice only when asked. Your teenager will need to make mistakes on their own - that is what my daughter tells me. They cannot learn from our mistakes. Let him make choices and try to lead him in the right direction. Be with him as much as he will let you, there will be a time when he wants to hang with his friends and won't admit that he even knows you. Good luck and stay strong and patient ~ It's what keeps me from pulling out my hair most days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klicky Posted January 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 Be with him as much as he will let you, there will be a time when he wants to hang with his friends and won't admit that he even knows you. I have been doing this for the past year, in preparation. I have also been telling him for the past year that I am doing this in preparation. I think we're both ready. We started by taking everything out of his room, and HE repainted the entire thing in colors of HIS choosing. What was there before had been there since he was about 3 years old. He is now quite proud of his room, and is extra motivated to keep it looking nice. In a book I read recently, the mom said to the 13-year old daughter, "You'll have about 4 years to hate me. You may want to save a few of those for later on." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silva Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 Ha ha, I like that last sentence! My daughter turned into a person I couldn't recognise when she was 15 and declared that she didn't care about anyone, including herself. I swore that she was a changeling! Luckily, the fairies brought her back a year later and she, and we, survived! She is dreading the same thing happening to her own daughters! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bashfulsnowhite Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Isn't it lucky that each of us are unique? I/we raised seven -- count them seven -- children who went through teenage. A doctor once told me that I should stop asking advice from "experts" and just use the instincts God gave me when he gave me these children. Using that advice led us to today where I have seven adults who are still unique and who love each other and us "just because". And they even ask for advice now and then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamascash Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Advice? No. Suggestion? Buy a minivan and clear your calendar I know this sounds weird, but if you have enough room to drive him and his friends around to various activities, he will ask! They will use you for all your worth, but in my opinion, any amount time that I can be with them is quality time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klicky Posted January 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Lately we have discovered the long lost art of playing cards. No electronics, no bells or whistles, no fancy game pieces, just a deck or two of cards. We laugh and joke and tease and casually mention subjects that need mentioning, all while shuffling and dealing and making moves and having fun. It's working quite well! (knock on wood) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddys Posted January 28, 2011 Report Share Posted January 28, 2011 The only thing I can tell you is "good luck" and get ready to have the ride of your life. I've had my own teenagers and now the grandchildren who have gone through the teen years. Occasionally, they will ask for advice but for the most part, they don't say a whole lot. Stock up on food, they eat like draft horses and then will eat some more. I thought we were going to go bankrupt when our grandson moved in with us during his teen years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wim2 Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 Klicky, congratulations on becoming a teenager's mom. I can't offer advice because my only child is still just 12 and won't be 13 until July 10 (she was born on 7/10 and she weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces...cool, huh?). I do think things up until now have been fairly easy (every hour diaper changes, rocking all night when she had the croup, first Christmas, first Easter, first day of kindergarten when she screamed bloody murder because she thought we weren't going to come back for her, friends, starting her period [i literally cried that day], weird clothes, weird hairdo, talking back, etc.), but once the teenage years come, I'm sure things will get more difficult. Good luck to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts