to want to know why Kevin the Teenage is lying on my sofa and what has happened to my love little boy

[ReallyTired]

Ds has thrown a tantrum because Microsoft Word has not printed his homework correctly. His stupid mum has had the cheap to offer to help him. And his stupid mum wants him to finish homework, do guitar practice before playing Minecraft. His teacher has written rude notes about uncompletion of homework.

My little boy used to be polite and cooperative. Now I got this sullen lump on the sofa.

And I had four children in 5 years so they did it all at the same time!

Welcome to the club.

I have been doing teenagers for the last few years now with my two eldest daughters, and I still have a few years yet to go with their younger sister, who is now 11.

Around the age of about 16 - 17 they seem to start emerging on the other side and becoming human again so do take heart. My 18 year old daughter is very agreeable again now, and I love it when she is home from uni. Ages 12 to about 15 were the worst for the teenage strops though, and for me wondering whether or not my relationship with her would ever recover.

My 15 year old is just starting to calm down a bit now, and the 11 year old has still to get going properly.

Harry Enfield's Kevin the Teenager was a caricature, but really wasn't that far wide of the mark.

We're on our 3rd and final Kevin - oh what joy we've had the grunts/the smells/the 'negotiations' over showers and homework and the 'you don't expect me to eat THAT do you' moments... How we treasure these 'special' times - I think it's funny how they seems to forget how to use full sentences around 14 and resume 'normal ' speech around 18/19 (unless they want something of course - when they can STILL be very cuddly - but a bit 'ripe')... And teenage girls - whole other levels of angst

Yes topseyt I found 13 - 18 so hard with DD 20 and thought we would NEVER be mutually loving/cuddly/patiient with each other again - it was quite quite horrible at times with MY DM telling me it would pass.. It did and now it's so much better calmer fun lovely....

Dds now in their 20s so out the other side although dd1 is still a miserable cow most of the time. Think that's just her default!
Ds is 12 so past experience tells me the worst is yet to come although with the dds they were already horrible by age 12. Maybe boys start a bit later? He is doing a lot of sleeping and avoiding soap and water so we are definitely under way. Dh and I will assume the brace position for the third and last time....

My ds is like this and he's 8! I'm hoping he'll grow out of it and be lovely as a teenager. (denial I know!)
We had a serious 'chat' (lecture) about rudeness/ respect and manners this evening when he was ordered to bed early. He's moving in with his dad when he's a teenager!