My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Teenagers

still get amazed at DD2 teenage selfcentredness

5 replies

Casxy · 04/06/2011 17:52

Does anyone else flinch when they hear their teens in public? Wonder how on earth they brought them up like that?

I've just watched DD2 (16) do her job serving teas at a sports club. She and the other teen worker act as if they are too good to be there. They don't smile, they avoid eye contact, they don't always answer people who talk to them, they turn away and laugh with each other. She's been doing the job a year and its regular customers pretty much every week so its not as if she doesn't like the work. They were suddenly nice to some people, but then hardly talked to the next ones (not looks-related from what I could see, although shy young lads got the worst brush-offs). I notice that the regular customers didn't try to talk to them, just visitors. Then when I drove them home they bitched about how annoying the little kids were (I didn't think so) and all the ones they just don't like.

Don't get me wrong - they did their job fine but I was just struck by the attitude of 'don't even try to talk to me'. I've always been more of a 'smile costs nothing' person. DH is quiet but would never put people down.

She's always been in a bit of a clique at school, and she can keep herself to herself at home (except for when she's feeling in need of a hug), but I honestly never thought she'd be so 'up herself' in public. Isn't that an awful thing to say about your own dd?

OP posts:
Report
GypsyMoth · 04/06/2011 17:56

oh god,i'm off out in half an hour to collect dd,also 16,from her first day at work! with customers too (local branch of NEXT)

hope she's 'behaved' herself!

Report
Casxy · 04/06/2011 18:01

Probably been charming.
I tell myself its defense against misplaced adolescent lack of self-esteem. Trouble is I'm still secretly worried DD IS actually a character out of mean girls.
I have the horrible feeling that if I wasnt related to her ....

OP posts:
Report
cat64 · 04/06/2011 18:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Danthe4th · 04/06/2011 18:19

I agree cat64 my 14 and 16 year old work so well in the local pubs, they are polite, popular and do a very good job but at home the older one can be horrible to her sister and both can be quite demanding of the taxi service but occasionally I get a thank you!!!

Report
Casxy · 04/06/2011 18:25

Oh dear - that's what I feared. She can be perfectly nice in public, if she chooses. And she's got two waitressing jobs so she can't actually be bad at either of them.
I think she's inside an adolescent bubble. Also maybe I see her brush-offs more clearly than other people as I know her well. Hmm

OP posts:
Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.