I have decided that teenagers become unpleasant so it is easier to let them go.

So instead of thinking "my baby is growing up" the thinking is "I can't wait for you to be on your own"

And if you have menopause and puberty attempting to co-exist in the same household at the same time - it can be "interesting"

I told all the nieces and nephews that when they hit 13....I don't want to hear from them until they hit 21 :roll: ...they think I'm kidding....I'm not :wink:

OH boy do you ladies have it right.
Thank goodness I've only got this last one to live through and then I'll be ok.

HAHA My GF told me the same thing when her two were in HS. They were 4 and 8 years older then my only child. When she was in HS she was a dream and I sought therapy to prepare for her to leave home. Then she graduated on 06-06-06 (there is a hint in there) and she began to pay me back for all those years of being the perfect child. Things are getting better now. She will be 21 in one month.

Give them to me! I am a high school teacher, and I love teenagers. They are open to new ideas, not usually jaded by bad experiences, fun-loving, generally positive, hard-working, interested, and curious. Of course, there are the more challenging ones. In talking to parents, we are usually surprised to discover that they are very different at school than at home. Sometimes great students, horrible kids, and vice-versa. Overall, I find they give me lots of energy and positivity. And the tough ones make me come home and sew my frustrations out, so they are good motivators!
Now, what I'm worried about is when my kids are teens. I don't know if it will be great to be with them all day and come home to more. :shock:

The reason that teenagers are the way they are is so that we shove them out of the nest at the first possible opportunity, instead of whining about how much we miss them.

College is expensive....but man, is it nice!!!

Never had any problems with my daughters as teens, but ask about my son and I could write 100 books. He is 36 now, owns his own business and is doing great. But from 13 to 25 - WOW! His Dad died when he was almost 14 and that is when things turned bad!!

I think I was very lucky with my daughter and two sons. None of them were trouble makers or got into tooooo much trouble. The most irritating thing was that the older they got, the lower my I.Q. became in their eyes. I'm happy to report that now that they are 31, 28, and 24, I am "smart" again. :roll:

My grandma always told me when I was a kid that when you turn 13 it will be legal for us to beat you up when you get bratty!! I always thought it was true, until I turned 13, of course then I realized that she had been pulling my leg. My grandma has always been one to take in "stays", kids who's parents couldn't keep them in line for some reason or another. There is just something about her that really gets teenagers!! And now the couple of kids she took in at different times, are adults with families and careers. She must have beat the good sense into them when they turned 13 :wink: I do not look forward to my boyfriend's daughters becoming teenagers, but at least I know where to send them!!!!

I had a lot of fun with my teens, it was nothing short of a miracle to see them stepping into the role of young adults. Then something happened, my oldest son met a girl and his brains went on holiday and never came back, my daughter decided she knew more than I did, so I told her she had better move out before she forgot it!

I am waiting for the day when I have to account for unleashing them on society! LOL

For the most part they were great kids, as young adults they are doing well for themselves and that is all a parent can ask for...I can't say that I agree with some of the choices they have made, but I don't have to live with the consequences, so all I can do is respect their right to make mistakes. :)