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!

Which should, of course, read 'Mumsnet...'

yabu and silly, but you will realise that when you have your own,
could tell you about my lovely 19 year old who is brilliant with his disabled sister, and about all the lovely teens out there,
CBA

So why is it acceptable to say you don't like babies or children, who are also individuals and there are some beautifully behaved children out there?

Sorry to bang on but the whole "I hate children" thing does piss me off, when it's obviously unacceptable to say you hate any other group of people based on age alone.

I think the liking/not liking babies thing isn't about hating them and wishing they didn't have to be seen in public though. At least, I'd say I don't much like babies, meaning "I'm not one of those people who really loves all babies and wants to pick them up and coo at them all the time", but I wouldn't say "They are terrible and shouldn't be in a public place behaving in their baby ways" Ditto children. I find them rather odd and alien and don't choose to spend time interacting with them in general. But I don't have a problem with their right to exist or behave in typical child-like ways. And that generally is what people mean by "not liking" teenagers.

YANBU. Even the lovely ones are a bit horrible.

Actually, some of them are lovely. But only some.

Mine are lovely horribly biased

I thought mine was lovely, but I've just changed the sheets on his bed.

Bet you all love them till you live with them

I had four teenagers at one time, one now being in his twenties, (not sure how, cos I still feel 17 but hey) and yes, they have their moments, but normally they're great. They can be thoughtless, but they're mostly lovely.

It's particularly nice when one of them comes into the room with their friends and sit and have a chat. They don't just slink off upstairs out of the way the second they come in.

I agree with the comments that it's easier once you have a teen of your own, you do seem to be able to communicate easier with them then.

You are just jealous because you haven't got one of your own yet.

Teenagers are great, I love the child/adult mix of them. They are funny, annoying, thoughtful, thoughtless, reckless, amusing, wily, oh, I could go on for ages, about the wonderfulness of teenagers.

I've even worked with teenagers. So, other people's teenagers in fact, not actually connected to me by family bonds and having to like them because we are related, and still found them great.

Now old people, I don't like those, you get some right old biddy's blocking up aisles in shops, post offices, flash mobs of them on public transport with their discount travel passes, tutting in huddles, at temper tantrum toddlers, teenagers etc.

A blimey OP - I remember teens being written off when I was one (I'm 37) as being just like you describe and always feeling hard done by and "well I'm not like that". I don't think much has really changed. It's fear of the unknown and once you have one and see a bit of them and their friends you will be pround of this group and defend them to all the naysayers.

Unless you've done a rubbish job of raising him/her...

I think teenagers on the street just can feel intimidating. And we tend to dislike things that makes us uncomfortable.
But all the teenagers I know are nice. And my eldest son and his friends have very little tolerance for using words like mong. If it helps for context they also think Ricky gervais is a purile twat

Lol MrsDanverclone at flahs mobs of old people on public transport. They actually growl at any non OAP's on the 9.30 am buses (at which point their concessionary travel kicks in) around here

my teens are nothing like the OP describes and if anyone use 'mong' in their hearing they would have a go.
I love spending time with them. and their friends are lovely. One even brings flowers for me at every visit (I am easily won over)

yabvu You will always get the minority if teenagers who are rude and ill mannered they were about in my day as well. Most of them are ok and I feel are not having the easiest of times at the mo.

you can't say all teenagers are bad there's some out there who are doing pretty amazing things in there life. But i have to say i dont like going on the bus when ive got my daughter with me and there using the f word all the time especially when your teaching yours not to swear it sounds awful.

Yes SarahBumBarer 9.30 am is a dangerous time, intimidating groups of oldies, armed with sticks, zimmers and trolley bags determined to use the bus, we live in fear around here too.

Couldn't resist joining in on this thread because of our names, and because I am also old-ish (47)! And also because I agree with you about some of the hideously behaved and self-centred teenagers I see round and about generally, but I have to say I have two of my own (actually 17 and 21 now) and they are nothing like this and nor are their friends, so I do think upbringing has something to do with it...

ROFL SarahBumBarer - remember Hell's Grannies on Monty Python!

Not saying they're all bad, of course! I actually live in an ordinary middle England town. And, I didn't say I "hated" them. Or babies. Or old ladies. I guess I'm one of those who's willing to meet someone (more than) half way but just recently, I have found many of them to be consistently horrid. I was cycling along the cycle path into town last week with a three yr old on the back and my son and his pal behind me. A group of teens, walking on the cycle path were treated to an "excuse us, coming through" from me and a ringing of his bike bell from my youngest son (9). Thy collectively stayed as a group on the path so we had to swerve around them. Then, when I called "this IS the cycle path" we were treated to a mouthful of abuse. Nice.

And I'm not too old to remember being a teen, thanks all!

knitted breast I can't agree that terms such as MONG and SN are not known in context by these teens, well by most people, really. These are enlightened times and the sentence I heard it in was alluding to the fact that a kid they didn't lie was a dope, and has a "face like a special needs kid". No ambiguity there!

I'm encouraged that so many of you have lovely teens. I can hope!

Just another note before I go.....

Where we live, it's a fairly affluent area. These kids aren't underprivileged with desperate home lives and nothing to look forward to. They're two holidays a year-type families, attend the best school in a 20 mile area and I don't get where all the nastiness comes from.

Swearing amongst their peers? Well, we all did that, didn't we? It's the walking in the street stuff I really don't like.

I used to work in an area of social deprivation. It was a tough job in a tough area. But, I have to say, this kids/teens I met were a very different breed. Some tearaways, yes. But, others polite, thoughtful and respectful of what we were trying to do.

Perhaps it's a privilege thing? Dont know.

I'd say, 80% of the teens where we live expect to go to Uni. Most have families who can help them, despite the desperate financial times. What I mean is, they have a lot. They have support. They have love. But (often) their attitude stinks.