From the article: Ten Tactics Parents Use to Stay Involved
It is a scary time, when your little angel enters adolescence. All of a sudden, they are thinking for themselves, making decisions and following them through without you. While you may not know the exact moment of when you became a parent of a teen, I’d bet there was something that told you the metamorphosis had begun. Share Your Story
You Get Your Freedom, Sort Of
- When you've finally got some freedom - and then the kids take your car.
- —2writenride
There's no food left!
- A day or two after grocery shopping and all the ready to eat foods/snacks are missing. Oh, and the gallon of milk gone in less than 24 hours because someone decided to eat a whole box of cereal!
- —Guest WicceMother
A New Understanding
- You understand why some animals eat their young at birth.
- —Guest Regan
Drama
- That lovely "boy" turns into one of them ... with that aggressive, angry, non-communicating, I-know-it-all-attitude. How sad it is when just about everything becomes an issue and every parent becomes the ogre who knows NOTHING?
- —Guest Gillian
Angry and Irritable
- When the parents in my teen clinic ask if they can discuss that their daughter or son has become so angry and/or irritable. I can usually guess the exact stage of adolescence as soon as they mention that. ;-)
- —theteendoc
Your things go missing...
- Your best clothes begin disappearing and turn up in their closet.
- —Guest Tony
As usual mother was right.
- The sweet children become creatures of an another planet. We speak two different languages. And the best part: the parent is always wrong!
- —Guest jo
The Need for an Alarm Clock Again
- As toddlers, preschoolers and even elementary-agers, my boys were often up by 6am, including weekends (cartoon time), but now they will sleep past that time well into the afternoon - if allowed.
- —Guest ibvick
They Know It All
- They think that they are invincible and think they know it all. They are full of opinions and some of those opinions are either erroneous or hilarious.
- —Guest Josie
Sullen
- The lovely, mannerly, kindly, thoughtful child you are used to becomes a sullen, grumpy, self-centered person whose only form of communication is a grunt in response to a question. And that the whole world is against them, no one understands them and why can't they get away with what they're doing without taking responsibility for their actions!?
- —Guest Heather
