AIBU? I don't like teenagers....

[MrsTonySoprano]

Lord help me for this, I know I'm in for a flaming and I AM old but....

The more I see of them the more I can't stand them. They are (and I generalise here) rude, swear in public places as a matter of making conversation, the girls are plastered in makeup with over processed hair, they Twitter about how hard life is cause they have to get out of bed and go to school, they do nothing around the house, think everyone owes them, feel allowances should be made for nasty behaviour because they're teenagers (??). Push past you in the street and then say "WELL EXCUSE MEEEE" like you did something wrong. One I know well, talks with friends about anyone they don't like being like "a special needs kid" and "mong".

Oh God. Rant over. I just don't like them. And I'm about to have one of my own next year!

Sounds mire like your average mumsnetter than any teen I know!

*more

Hmmm... Thing is, and as I say I'm old (49) but, I wasn't like that as a teen. Nor were my siblings and friends. We just got on with stuff. We had exam pressure, peer pressure, parents splitting up, boyfriend troubles etc but, the sheer nastiness now just makes me want to hide.

Oh dear. I have one and he is none of the above

Is it soo far back for you that you can't remember being a teen yourself.

The majority of teens I see/meet are lovely and I live in the the heart of London.

Don't you think it's people with your attitude to teens that make things far worse.

I'd agree with that navel!

I don't know teens like that.

The ones I know are sweet decent people trying to make sense of life on the whole.

Mine doesn't do any of that.

thats what happens when we force feed them dreams lifestyles they will never achieve at the same time as not trusting them to do anything physical or proactive to to explore their hoobies and interests.

whats wrong with swearing within their friendship groups, its just language. when a teenager pushes past you and says excuse me that way, just think that for those few seconds that day you have made him/her feel powerful/ in control.

most young people that use those terms are not even considering that mong means a disabled person, its just a phrase. I Know you arent thinking that but its a different generation and will probebly die as an offensive term when your generation go.

I'm with navel - big gangs of boys you think will be scary who clear a path for you to get through with the pram and smile when you thank them - and |I'm in SE London

I don't like toddlers. They are selfish, annoying and loud . Just another phase we all have to go through... Most of them turn out to be decent people in the end. I swore, was self involved, was very lazy, helped my mum as little as poss, wore makeup and slightly slutty clothes. I have turned out alright. They are just trying to impress their mates all the time and think they have to be that way to do so. They grow out of it.

Seems like you are on your own op!!

Out of interest, where on earth do you live?

I was going to say YABU but it seems perfectly acceptable to say you don't like babies or don't like children in general so why not teenagers?

Well I've got 2 DDs- 14 & 18, and although they're not by any means perfect I wouldn't change them for the world. Of course they can be stroppy mares at times - esp the older one, and it can be difficult to keep up with their ever-changing friendships/fallouts etc but I tend find I've grown with them. They would be so for it if I ever found out they acted like you describe above in public places, and the older older one will be as spoilt as possible - or until I tell her off, and is just starting to realise that money does not grow on trees. They are in charge of their bedrooms, and do their own ironing in holidays (which tends to mean they just fold/bunch up the clothes and put them away). The most important bit go advice I would give is to make time to listen to them when they want to talk... normally late at night when your favourite tv programme is on!
Now boys.....that's a whole different ball game....glad i don't have them

It's like saying you dislike old ladies, because some of them are rude and unpleasant and demand special treatment.

Most teens aren't like that - I have one. He's nice. All his friends and most of his classmates were nice.

I find teenagers fascinating. I love having teenagers and their friends around and it's definitely been the best part of motherhood so far.

I find that laughter works. Most the time they are just showing off

I love teens, I have one myself and neither him or his mates are anything like what you've described OP.
Generalising, much?

IME they're much more tolerable and less scary once your own DC reach that age. You realise then that they're still just kids in lots of ways, trying to cope with suddenly huge bodies and raging hormones.

Probably most of us don't think we weren't like that as teens but I bet we were just as bad really.

Given they're all individual people, that's a very weird thing to say.

Do you feel the same about other groups of society?

YABVU to generalise. I have one, and one almost a teenager - both girls. I love them to bits! And their friends are nice too - polite, interesting, amusing, able to talk to adults. Teenagers are far, far nicer than babies and toddlers IMHO.

Some old people though... and some middle-aged people... and some men... and some women...

when my and my SiL's DDs were babies, I said something like I can't imagine them walking/having tantrums, I don't know how I'll cope and she said

"Your children are always the right age for you"

which has rung true over the years - older kids always seem scary - and is more profound than you might think at first (SiL is now a vicar...)

I also find them fascinating..they're lovely! Weird and perfect....unfriendly and funny....they are also decorative. Our town centre has a good collection of cool looking teenagers who sit and look interesting and cutting edge...so YABU!

Snap OP I'm also 49. In our day though there were jobs etc. in abundance. They have it far harder these days. Pressure at school is also much greater.

I love teenagers. I really enjoy all their posturing and insecurity. I have such vivid memories of life as a teen - it was the best and worst of times and I have great empathy for them.

I think when you have your very own teenager next year that you may be surprised to find they are much more as you describe yourself as a teen in your second post, rather than the 'Daily Mail' description in your first post!

As the proud 'owner' of a 16 year old, I am constantly amazed and delighted at how lovely, hard-working and responsible she and her friends are (not ALL the time, you understand, they're not, like, WEIRD ).

They have such huge pressures today, I wouldn't swap places for anything, and unfortunately it's human nature to talk about how difficult certain phases of growing up are for parents, when it's pretty challenging for the children/young adults too and absolutely NOT guaranteed to end in disaster.

You may surprise yourself how much you enjoy being with your teenager and their friends - after all they don't just 'morph' on their 13th birthdays. And if not, there"s always the MINUTE 'Teenager' section...