Do you enjoy having teenagers

[Busymum45]

I don't at the moment, they stay up all night & literally would lie in bed all day long, I get annoyed by lunchtime so wake them, until then try to enjoy the morning to myself.
They seem ungrateful and rude sometimes and eat all the food....
Does it get better as doesnt feel like its very enjoyable stage of parenting at all !!!!

Other teen parents, please share your views ......

Mostly enjoying it now, would have said very differently a year ago!

Last year at this time Dd1 (19) had moved back home, along with her boyfriend, for the summer. They stayed until November and in particular dh was demented with having them here. Dd1 managed to fair her first year at uni and had to repeat. Ds had got into the habit of running away (17) and standing on bridges until the police found him and brought him home, and dd2 (15) had a boyfriend who was trouble but she refused to break up with him. It was hormones and arguments and shouting and me, quietly trying and failing to keep all the plates from falling.

Dd1 moves out in November, ds and dd2 we're back at school and slowly things calmed down. Ds engaged with Camhs, dd2 split up from horrible boyfriend and now has a lovely one who we all like a lot and she is 100% happier. They've both now left school, Ds off to do an art portfolio course and dd2 doing beauty therapy at college. Ds now being looked after by adult mh services and has a great cpn by the sounds of things. Dd1, now 20, is settled in a flat with her bloke, passed her year at uni really well and is looking forward to the future. Ds passed his driving test and has a wee car, it's great for me as I can't drive due to disability.

During lockdown I've really enjoyed having them around, as I'm usually on my own (apart from the dog) through the day. Good company, great at helping out around the house, generally turning into nice young adults I'm proud of.

Love my ds,14. He's a good lad and great company. We do a fair bit of activities together thr three of us as a family. He plays guitar with dh and they enjoy going to rock concerts together. Me and ds are really good friends and we go to comic con together and lunches out. He goes out with friends quite a lot too but it's a nice balance. We have some great conversations as he's very political, quite a thinker for his age and has some very intelligent, interesting views. He does spend a fair bit of time on ps especially during lockdown as all of his other activities have stopped. Nocturnal to and sleeps til all hours but teens literally can't help that!

I don't really get bothered by what time they go to bed or get up, so that makes life easier. Don't see the point of getting annoyed by things like that.

I actually love my oldest two being teenagers, they’re funny caring and great company

My two aren't too bad at the moment. They haven't been bad in lockdown. Ds1 does grunt a lot like 'Kevin and Perry'. But they have both completed work, gone out for runs. Now meeting mates. They play endless x box.
I have sworn at them both last week though, for their total self-centeredness, when I have worked like a dog, every day since lockdown.

Mostly! I have a nearly 15yo dd and a nearly teenage ds (12.5). My teen dd is bright, acerbic, witty and a bit lazy. In spite of doing very well, she's very negative about school and about most of her teachers (which makes me sad, not least because dh and I are both teachers!).

But she's mostly good company, still joins in with family stuff, does as she's asked (even if sometimes grudgingly) and gets on surprisingly well as with her brother. I can't really complain, especially as I have 25 years experience of teaching other people's teenagers, so I know how difficult they can be. Now waiting to see how ds will turn out as he hits teenage!

in many ways I prefer it as they get more independent

Love mine, well at least since about 15 onwards. I pick my battles and don't tell her what time to sleep or get up, or insist on phones downstairs etc. We do chat about why the rules we DO have are in place. She cooks, cleans her room, does her school work etc. I feel quite fortunate really. I love listening to her laughing with her friends, or sitting discussing a book, or TV show with her.

My 13 year old is fine. Laid back and easy going. He was annoying as hell at about age 10.

3 at home at the moment and I do like it. They get on well and are really funny which I love. I admire them in that they've grown into nice, kind people.

Upsides
Sharing music discoveries
Watching movies together
Laughing and joking
Talking about funny things that happened/they did when younger
Them talking about their futures

Downsides
Eating ALL the food
Sleeping all day (although this is an upside too)
Messy rooms (I have to shut the door)

On the whole it's good though, and I enjoy their company and like them as people.

Sometimes! Other times nope, often cry

my DD was a teen back in the 1990's maybe they are a more easy generation these days?

To be fair to my DD she was fine until almost 16 when a family bereavement threw us all to pieces.

Then it was local peer group and drugs.
This is all pre mobile phones so no way to keep tabs......
I think the drugs changed her...skunk ......I was so liberal thinking it was harmless as it had been in my day the 1970's. It isn't is it?

AS so many PP's have lovely teens I am thinking that things change in decades almost like the social contagion thingy and maybe be if you can keep tabs on teens via phones and keep them away from grief and drugs it will be fine???
When I look back I can see we almost made it through ok.

I'm sure teens can be annoying in all kinds of ways. I was vile to my poor mum from the ages of 15 til about 18. Why do you care, though, what time they go to sleep and get up? I wfh (all the time' not just due to corona) and I go to sleep at 3 or 4 am and wake up at 11am or 12pm. That is what my body needs and doing otherwise makes me tired, listless, and unproductive. I sleep a regular, respectable 8 hours per night and am very successful in my career during the hours I am awake. I don't get shaming people for sleeping at unconventional hours. It harms nobody else. There is a lot of medical research suggesting that teens function best if they go to sleep / wake up later than the average 9-5 worker.

Individually I love spending time with them. They're incredibly funny. They're also oblivious to mess and think they're immortal which is boring and stressful. At least you know where toddlers are when they wake you up at 4:30am.

I’ve had two very different ones: the first was always a handful but has mellowed into an independent and sociable twenty something that I’m very proud of; my current one is much easier, very affectionate and good company. The second one sleeps a lot just now - lots of growing going on though.

The unpredictability of behaviour, constant reluctance to do any work and the noise(always energised from 7pm to 11pm!) is grinding me down

I much prefer it to the younger years. They have a great sense of humour. But yes they eat a lot and can be very rude and selfish. But I'll take the teenage years over night waking, potty training, the dreaded school run years...

Mine's 17 and great company, we share the same sense of humour. He can of course be a total pain in the arse too. Other than 0 to 12m, I'm enjoying this phase of parenthood more than any other

Not always, DS is 19 & home from Uni since lockdown started so I do appreciate it is hard for him, he was loving his independence at uni. The first couple of months were fine but we've been cooped up so long it's getting hard. We had a major bust up yesterday, mentioned it on another thread so I won't repeat it but seems a little easier today.

I find (some) teenagers can just be so selfish and clearly don't think or care about anyone else (or at least they don't show it). In many ways my DS is not that difficult- no issues with drugs, staying out all night, unsuitable friends etc etc. He has found himself a job, has a lovely girl friend, is very kind to my elderly Dad ... but just so rude and unhelpful at times ... and so messy and untidy. I dread the thought of him turning into one of these useless DHs always being complained about - my DH is a great role model, always does cooking, housework etc etc so I don't know where we've gone wrong. .

I love it, I find them interesting and funny, we have all sorts of conversations and they pull their weight around the house. Yes they like to stay up late and wake up late but are also respectful of the fact that I need to sleep so no don’t talk to friends on headsets or calls after 10.30pm.
Occasionally they are arseholes but I tell them they are being arseholes and they give it up pretty quickly, I quite like to use the Mumsnet “Did you mean to be so rude” line.

I think some people are just made to the kids and cope with everything that comes along. I am not one of them. I couldn’t wait for mine to leave home.

Have

Teenagers are so much better than toddlers. I really enjoy having them around. Mine go to bed around 10pm dd3 (13) a bit earlier on school nights. They are always out of bed by 10am at weekends, if not earlier. Dd2 has been studying hard so has been up at 7am every day (exams this week) Dd1 (admittedly 20 so no longer a teen) has to leave the house at 7 for work. weekends

I don't sweat the small stuff. They do their own laundry and are responible for their own rooms. They mostly self feed for breakfast and lunch (a toastie machine is the best buy ever if you have teens). We all eat together in the evenings and tend to linger round the table discussing the day.

We are rural so I end up being a taxi driver, but it does control their movements somewhat. Over all I love them and will miss them when they have flown ( Dd1 is probably moving out soon).

Love mine too, they have so much life in them!:)