Teenagers

[Mandy]

Originally Posted by jck4b

I agree w/ Mandy. Just always be pleasant & neutral even though it's killing you. I know a few teens in the neighborhood that are hardly home because they feel the parents are "on their backs" as they say, but when I ask what are they talking about it's the usual parent stuff. They think inquires about school, cerfew, drinking, friends, etc. is "controling", so they stay away. My son has a girlfriend that is here alot, she says it's because her home life is very chaotic, & alot of unhappiness & that she finds our home quiet. I sometimes think the teen years is the hardest of all in raising children.

I know the first seven years of a childs life are so very important, but boy i agree with you, the teen years are hard, it's so easy to make a mistake, because teens interpret your words in their own "language" - for the teenager it's the most difficult fase in their lives. They have so much to learn, so many hormonal changes, and so many physical changes. Somehow teens live in their "own world" untill they snap out of it, all we can do is have a LOT of patients and show understanding.