Is there ANYTHING more difficult than parenting adolescents!?

Question

I am so fed up.My children are 7,12,13,and 16...and I am going to just run away I do believe.

Answer 1

I have a teenage daughter and we have been having numerous issues lately. I received the below e-mail from my best friend today that fits the situation perfectly and, considering your situation, I thought you might enjoy it too!

Congratulations! You are the proud owner of a teenaged daughter.

Please read this manual carefully, as it describes the maintenance of your new daughter, and answers important questions about your warranty (which does NOT include the right to return the product to the factory for a full refund).

IF YOU FEEL YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOUR TEENAGER IN ERROR:
To determine whether you were supposed to receive a teenaged girl, please examine your new daughter carefully. Does she:
(a) look very similar to your original daughter, only with more makeup and less clothing?

(b) refuse to acknowledge your existence on the planet Earth (except when requesting money)?

(c) sleep in a burrow of dirty laundry? If any of these are true, you have received the correct item. Nice try, though.

BREAK-IN PERIOD: When you first receive your teenaged
daughter, you will initially experience a high level of
discomfort. Gradually, this discomfort will subside, and you
will merely feel traumatized. This is the "Break-In Period,"
during which you are becoming accustomed to certain
behaviors that will cause you concern, anxiety, and stress.
Once you have adapted to these behaviors, your teenager will start acting even worse.

ACTIVATION:
To activate your teenaged daughter, simply place
her in the vicinity of a telephone. No further programming
is required.

SHUTDOWN:
Several hours after activation, you may desire to
shut down your teenaged daughter. There is no way to do
this.

CLEANING YOUR TEENAGED DAUGHTER:
Having a teenaged daughter means learning the difference between the words "clean" and "neat." Teenaged daughters are very clean, because they take frequent showers that last more than an hour. They will scrub themselves with expensive, fragrant soaps which you must purchase for them because like I'm sure I'm going to use like the same kind of soap my mom and dad use. When they have completely drained the hot-water tank, they will step out and wrap themselves in every towel in the bathroom, which they will subsequently strew throughout the house. If you ask them to pick up the towels, you are confusing "clean" with "neat." Teenagers are very busy and do not have time to be neat. They expect others to pick up after them.
These others are called "parents."

FEEDING YOUR TEENAGED DAUGHTER:
Your teenaged daughter requires regular meals, which must be purchased for her at restaurants because she detests everything you eat because it is like so disgusting. She does not want you to accompany her to these restaurants, because some people might see you and like I'm sure I want my friends to see me eating dinner with my parents. Either order take-out food or just give her the money, preferably both. If you order pizza, never answer the doorbell because the delivery boy might see you and ohmigod he is so hot. Yes, your daughter's idea of an attractive man is the pizza boy.

CLOTHING YOUR TEENAGED DAUGHTER:
Retailers make millions of dollars a year selling stylish and frankly sensible clothing which will look adorable on your daughter. If you enjoy shopping, you will love the vast selections which are available to you. Unfortunately, your teenaged daughter wants to dress like a lap dancer. You may be able to coerce her into putting on a cute outfit before leaving the house, but by the time she walks in the schoolhouse door, she will be wearing something entirely different.

OTHER MAINTENANCE:
Teenaged daughters require one of two levels of maintenance: "High," and "Ultra High." Your daughter is "Ultra High." This means that whatever you do won't be enough and whatever you try won't work.

WARRANTY:
This product is not without defect because she has
your genes, for heaven's sake. If you think this is not
fair, talk to your parents, who think it is hilarious. Your
teenaged daughter will remain a teenager for as long as it
takes for her to become a woman, which in her opinion has
already happened and as far as you are concerned never
really will. If you are dissatisfied with your teenaged
daughter, well, what did you expect? In any event, your
warranty does not give you your little girl back under any
circumstances, except that deep down she's actually still
there -- you just have to look for her.

Answer 2

O boy your all going to hate me for this, but I have raised three daughters and a son and I had a wonderful time doing it, their adolescent years were the best, each day a new kid would emerge from the same body and I wouldn't recognise it, but I listened and I think that could be the answer to a lot of problems.
Really listen to them without adding your opinion, before long they will ask for advise, doesn't mean they have to take it though, allow them freedom of thought even if they are wrong.
They think they know everything there is to know in their teenage years, we as parents no differently but making a point of that only ends up leaving you battle scared and weary.
My 24 year old son and youngest daughter 22, still live at home and it's a very happy place to be, full of laughter and happiness.
I have asked my children in the past what was the best thing about growing up in this family and all of them have said it was just the one rule of the house that made it easier and that rule was simply consideration.
That one rule 'be considerate' covers many situations but doesn't overload a kid with rules and regulations.

Answer 3

Who that hasn't parented an adolesent doesn't want to run away sometimes. I have a 21, 16, and 10 year old all girls, and I know there I times I wanted to run away. What is more difficult than parenting an adolescent, having to parent the adolescents other parent. Hang there....eventually they grow up and move out, if not we by that age can get a mobile home with no forwarding address.

Answer 4

Only thing more difficult then parenting your own children is parenting your step children. So dont run yet Im on my way

I have a daughter who will be 14 on Saturday, a 10 month old son, a soon to be 7 yr old step daughter and my 17 yr old nephew has moved back in with me {he moved to live w his birth mom for a while changed his mind} Im 35 and some days wonder if I'll make it to 36 the oldest one can work a nerve so can the step child with the "your not my mom I dont have to listen to you" attitude

Answer 5

I have heard the saying that raising teenagers is like trying to nail jello to a tree. AMEN! I only have 1 daughter who is now 21 and there were times I was sure that neither one of us would survive her teenage years. We did, though and came out the other side smiling. She is about to graduate from an equestrian school and has a job in the works. I am very proud of her.

By all means, take a break once in a while, get out with friends and talk about your teenagers. It helps! Good luck and pick your battles carefully.

Answer 6

The only thing I found more difficult than parenting adolescents is looking after your own parent when they cannot look after themselves. 24/7. With adolescents they will grow up and leave home. but with a demented elderly person you dont know how long or how worse it`s going to get, and then you have to live with the thought could I have done better when they die. I have done both...give me adolescents every time.

Answer 7

I have to say being a step parent is harder because you don't have the 'right' to punish them like your own. Plus you will never be as good as mommy even though in my case my ex-step daughter was taken away from her mother due to abuse. It was very hard because she had a lot of problems because of her mother. Still I was NEVER good enough. I tried really hard too, I miss her now that I spilt with her dad, she was a great kid.

Answer 8

Oh don't say that. Mine are 10, 8, 6, 5 and 3 and I thought that was hard. Now I'm really scared what it's going to be like in 5 years. AAAAAAH.

Answer 9

What do you do when you are parental figure for a teen who is not your child!?

I can't even threaten her with 'While you're in my house' because its not!

Also wish I could use the line 'Because I gave you life!' or '** hours of labour gives me the right!'. When I eventually have my own, I will enjoy those lines soooooo much.

I have now started to ignore the sulking and moodiness which is helping but it is REALLY hard not to bite!

OK... bag is packed... where are we going?!

Answer 10

oh, the joy does not stop when they become of age, the joy just keeps happening
then, you not only have the "grown" children to use and abuse you, you have the grandchildren to wonder and worry about (lol) Would be much better, I think, if at some point we were like animals, and just did not recognize them any more,,,,much as I love mine, I do get tired of being the "catcher" for what goes wrong, and getting none of the credit for what goes right,,,,,in their lives