I have two boys aged 13 and 15. Both can be difficult at times (as all kids can) but my eldest really isn't a bad kid at all. He's never been in trouble at school or outside of the home, is top set in most of his school subjects, is generally well mannered and well behaved and has kept a paper round up for almost two years getting up religiously at 6am 6 days a week to earn his own money.
Now yeah, some times he can have a bit of an attitude. He's 15 after all, he knows everything there is to know about everything. DP just cannot see this for what it is though and makes a massive deal out of it each time he does it.
Last night I was working night shift and got a text from DP saying DS had been chucking a football around in his room and had refused to put it in the shed when told to do so. My response was "cheeky sod he is, I'll be having words tomorrow." DP then began sending text after text about how out of order DS is, what an awful attitude he has, how he's now burnt all his bridges with DP and how he needn't go to him for help with anything ever again and that's it, he's finished with him 
. My response to this huge over-reaction was "ok - he's a prat for chucking a football around the house and is out of order for refusing to do as he's told but he is 15 - 15 year olds tend to have an attitude, it's not highly unusual (and certainly not bad enough to talk about disowning him!!!). DP decided to share with me that no, 15 year olds do not generally have an attitude, no kids he's ever known at that age have had an attitude and his own angelic kids never showed such an attitude and he's upset that he "has to live with it"
AIBU to think that yeah he's right about the football and DS was out of order to disobey a request but it's not highly unusual behavior for a lad of his age??
AIBU?
According to "d"P - My 15 year old is the only 15 year old in the world with an attitude
GeeGeeAnee · 17/09/2014 08:31
No not unusual at all, tell him he doesnt have to live with it if he doesnt want to 
how is he with him usually
He used to be ok with him but I've noticed snide remarks lately - says he "minces" about for example. DS recently saved up £45 to buy himself the new football shirt and was proudly wearing it. DP came to me and said "oh god why does he think it's such a massive deal? he's parading himself around in that shirt as if he's after some big reaction. He won't get a reaction from me" etc etc!!!
Another one was DS decided he was on a protein diet (my reaction was "ok son, good luck with that" because I know full well how long it will last! So one morning he set himself a tray up with a dish of scrambled eggs, a glass of orange juice and a banana and it just looked like a stereotype health fanatic tray. I laughed and said how cute it was and told DP what DS had done. DP reacted with a face and a sarcastic "oh sorry ... err ... yeah go K you're so cool ... "
It's almost like he's jealous of the lad all of a sudden!
Your DS would be exceptional if he wasn't giving everyone at home attitude. As you say, be thankful he's keeping it together at school and elsewhere. He's starting to assert his independence and show those close to him that he's growing up and making his own decisions. Of course, some of those decisions will be bad ones and he'll pay the price - broken window anyone? He needs role models to show him how to deal with people who are being difficult.
At 15, DS1 decided my money was his money , DS2 decided school wasn't for him (and has never changed his mind) and now DD is well and truly keeping me on my toes 
. XH has disowned DS1 and DS2 so often, it's a joke.
Good luck.
Of course their mother gets the blame for it all. Apparently his kids were doing just fine until he no longer had an input
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