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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Time for 14 year old to be leaving town?

128 replies

DontBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou · 24/07/2021 20:36

I didn't know how to word the title.
And I'm usually a bit PFB over my eldest so occasionally really on MN for perspective.

14 yo (just finished year 9) has gone to the next major town, it's busy it's beachy it's rough, it's not the ideal place, but ok during the day.

What time would you expect them to leave to come home?

DS and I aren't in agreements, apparently his friends are still there.

It's about 30-40 minutes away by train.

OP posts:
OpenTheBloodyWindow · 25/07/2021 13:55

They are very, very loud for a start and don't care that they are disturbing residents, but aside from that they are obnoxious and intimidating in a group, they break the kids equipment either on purpose or just with messing about, they leave cigarette ends and bottles and crisp packets and energy drinks cans everywhere, and just generally behave like total shits. There's a woods connected to the park that belongs to the nursery/primary school and they trash that regularly. They come into the gardens of residents during the night. They've stolen stuff out of our garden and taken it to the woods to make a bonfire. This is all in a very nice, upmarket area with a huge premium on houses etc. We're trying to move.

I can't believe you need that spelled out?! What is it you think they're doing?

OpenTheBloodyWindow · 25/07/2021 13:57

I'm genuinely interested in whether parents don't know what their kids are doing when they're out roaming at night, or if they do know and don't give a shit who it affects or how?

JustLyra · 25/07/2021 13:58

I think if you agreed he’d leave at 7 (which from your posts is actually not remotely clear) then it was probably a bit naive to not anticipate a problem occurring because he was guaranteed to want to stay later with his mates.

With teens there’s a line to be found between being firm on your timings and being realistic about them. Picking your battles is key.

HandScreen · 25/07/2021 14:00

@OpenTheBloodyWindow So they're just hanging out then? Most of your complaints seem to be that they are "loud" and "obnoxious". Teenagers are allowed to gather, you know!

HandScreen · 25/07/2021 14:01

And "residents"? Those teenagers are residents also.

OpenTheBloodyWindow · 25/07/2021 14:07

@HandScreen you're obviously on the wind up or have the lowest standards for behaviour on the planet if you think that's acceptable behaviour. Anyway I'm going to hope it's the former and not engage any further...

icedcoffees · 25/07/2021 14:10

@OpenTheBloodyWindow

They are very, very loud for a start and don't care that they are disturbing residents, but aside from that they are obnoxious and intimidating in a group, they break the kids equipment either on purpose or just with messing about, they leave cigarette ends and bottles and crisp packets and energy drinks cans everywhere, and just generally behave like total shits. There's a woods connected to the park that belongs to the nursery/primary school and they trash that regularly. They come into the gardens of residents during the night. They've stolen stuff out of our garden and taken it to the woods to make a bonfire. This is all in a very nice, upmarket area with a huge premium on houses etc. We're trying to move.

I can't believe you need that spelled out?! What is it you think they're doing?

Well, teenagers around here don't behave like that and I certainly didn't behave that way as a teenager.

But I was Shock allowed out in groups and I did "loiter" around parks too as, well, there wasn't really anywhere else to go.

Your problem is with anti-social behaviour, not teenagers. Most irritating behaviour around here is actually younger kids (as in 8-12 years old) or groups of drunken men in their forties!

RockingMyFiftiesNot · 25/07/2021 15:18

[quote HandScreen]@RockingMyFiftiesNot Yes, I think the OP is being controlling and punitive. For those who need explanations, punitive means to punish somebody. As in punishment. As the OP describes.[/quote]
How condescending!

SheilaWilcox · 25/07/2021 19:02

Hang on, on your post at Sat 24-Jul-21 20:45:08 you said there WAS an agreement. Was there or wasn't there?
Because if there wasn't, you can't punish him for not being able to guess what you would be okay with.

Maggiesfarm · 25/07/2021 19:24

@OpenTheBloodyWindow

I'm genuinely interested in whether parents don't know what their kids are doing when they're out roaming at night, or if they do know and don't give a shit who it affects or how?
Most parents know what their children are doing when they are out - or think they do.

I don't like the idea of 'roaming about', much prefer them to be going somewhere, maybe then going on somewhere else, with friends.

However the op's son wasn't home late even if he was later leaving wherever he was than she would have liked.

At least he came home! If I was going to be late, not always my fault, sometimes public transport let me down, I used to be terrified of going home to face the wrath of my parents.

A couple of times (not at fourteen, fifteen onwards), I didn't go home.
They called the police.

My kids always phoned to be picked up if they were stuck somewhere. Most of their friends did the same.

JollyAndBright · 27/07/2021 12:20

@HandScreen

*If I didn’t know better I’d think you were my 14 year old. ‘Property’ ‘controlling’ ‘punitive’ and ‘jeez’ Are all buzz words he uses when he feels he’s not getting his way, usually when he’s been told no.*

Perhaps you should listen to your 14 year old, then? Do you just disregard then when they let you know about your behaviour? How should a teen communicate to a controlling and punitive parent that they are controlling and punitive?

Another PP upthread says that "parenting a teen is about enforcing boundaries" - that's a shocking and quite sad description of parenting Sad

Seriously?? I mean genuinely seriously?

Let’s break this down….

Perhaps you should listen to your 14 year old, then?

I do listen to my DS, we have a very open relationship where no conversation is off limits and everything is approached in a nonjudgmental way.
We are very close.

When he is calling me the above words I don’t tend to listen because I know he is having a tantrum because he isn’t getting his own way.

Do you just disregard then when they let you know about your behaviour?

When they are having a tantrum because they aren’t getting their way, yes.

How should a teen communicate to a controlling and punitive parent that they are controlling and punitive?

If they genuinely believe their parents to be that way then it’s a discussion that should be had in a calm and serious conversation.
But I think pretty much every teenager on the planet believe there parents are “ controlling and punitive” at some point. 9.5 times out of 10 it’s because the teen isn’t getting their own way.

Another PP upthread says that "parenting a teen is about enforcing boundaries" - that's a shocking and quite sad description of parenting

That’s exactly what parenting a teen is.
Teens push boundaries, any parent who doesn’t enforce them is basically just letting their teen run wild, which is unsafe and does the teenager no favours in the long run.

Let me tell you about the last time I was “controlling” according to my 14 year old.

He wanted to go and spend the weekend at my parents, he does this fairly often as he has friends in the town my parents live in.
He came home from school (it was a Friday) and announced he was going on the bus in an hour,
I called my mum to check it was ok, this is usually a formality as the virtually never say no, however, on this occasion she said they had friends over that night and “it would be more convenient” if he came through on Saturday.

I relayed this to DS and he said he was still going, I said no, you can go tomorrow, his argument was was that my mum said it’s not convenient, she didn’t say he couldn’t go,
I told him calmly and clearly that they have plans and he is not going, that ‘not convenient’ is a no.

He proceeded to argue with me, or should I say at me, as other than repeating that he could go tomorrow I refused to debate the matter with him. This went on for 45 minutes.
According to him I was being controlling and just trying to ruin his life.

It turned out he had made plans with his friends for that evening, that’s why he was so annoyed.

I pointed out he should have checked with his grandparents before making the plans. But he wouldn’t listen and continued with the stance that I was just doing it to be controlling.
He was cross about his plans, and it had to be someone’s fault so it had to be mine.

Once he calmed down he changed his plans and everything was fine.

Just to be clear… I was not being controlling or punitive, I was being a responsible parent of a teenager.

FunMcCool · 27/07/2021 13:07

I’d want my 14 year old in by 8.30. Earlier in the winter.

RockingMyFiftiesNot · 27/07/2021 14:41

Another PP upthread says that "parenting a teen is about enforcing boundaries" - that's a shocking and quite sad description of parenting

So don't you/didn't you set boundaries for your teenagers? They were allowed to do what they wanted, no rules or consequences? Now THAT is a sad description of parenting. In fact it isn't a description of parenting at all.

HandScreen · 27/07/2021 16:02

@JollyAndBright Yes, seriously.

You haven't answered my question. There are certainly controlling and punitive parents. If you are one of these, and your teen communicated this to you, your answer suggests you would dismiss them entirely. Reflect on this.

HandScreen · 27/07/2021 16:05

@RockingMyFiftiesNot

Another PP upthread says that "parenting a teen is about enforcing boundaries" - that's a shocking and quite sad description of parenting

So don't you/didn't you set boundaries for your teenagers? They were allowed to do what they wanted, no rules or consequences? Now THAT is a sad description of parenting. In fact it isn't a description of parenting at all.

Why so angry?

All relationships involve boundary-setting. What I find sad is this description of a parenting relationship: parenting a teen is all about enforcing boundaries. It is about so many more things than this - many of them positive, and I find it a very sad and loveless description. Do you find that your habitual emotion with your children is anger, or your default feeling is "I must be in control"? If so, some reflection might be in order, as this is not a happy environment.

itsgettingwierd · 27/07/2021 16:17

@HandScreen

Wanting a 14 year old home at 8.30 is controlling. The gym membership punishment is really over the top.

And no, my mother's controlling behaviour was exactly along these lines. It's a shitty environment to be in.

Parenting your children you are responsible for is not controlling.

If the OP didn't set boundaries and make welfare checks on her son and something happened she could be charged with neglect. He's a child.

suspiria777 · 27/07/2021 17:32

OP i'm a bit confused (and I confess I haven't RTFT...)

He was supposed to be home by 8.30pm but he got in at 9.40pm.
But the trains only come every 45 mins, so in reality he could have got an earlier train home and arrived at 8.55pm (still late) or got an even earlier train and got home at 8.10pm (20 mins early).

If he got the "be home on time train" (which would have got him home earlier than you agreed, based on the inflexibility of the timetime and the rareness of the trains) what time would he have had to actually start coming home? 6.30pm? That does seem pretty early for a 14 year old beginning KS4/ upper school/ GCSEs to have to head home during holidays...

I think (hindsight) you could have considered and discussed with him what time he would need to leave, what train he would get, what time he would get back, what train his friends were getting, etc. beforehand, so that he could have spoken up if he felt going home at 6.30 to be back at 8.10 (which is effectively the curfew you imposed) was too early. But equally, i think you are being a bit too strict to ask him to end his evening at 6.30pm/be home by 8.10pm. Given train times, a 9pm curfew would be more reasonable.

JollyAndBright · 27/07/2021 18:49

[quote HandScreen]@JollyAndBright Yes, seriously.

You haven't answered my question. There are certainly controlling and punitive parents. If you are one of these, and your teen communicated this to you, your answer suggests you would dismiss them entirely. Reflect on this.[/quote]
I did answer your questions. Just because the answers don’t align with your narrative doesn’t mean I didn’t answer them.

If my teen came to me within the bounds of a serious conversation and told me they though I was unnecessarily controlling and punitive of course I would discuss and address why they felt this way.

But in the course of a teenage tantrum because they aren’t getting their way, because I’ve said no to something or because I won’t do something they want of course I dismiss the things he says, I know he doesn’t really mean it and is just angry and lashing out.
Teenagers are inherently selfish and dramatic, it’s completely normal.

If you genuinely think that parents should be taking everything their teenagers say in the heat or a teenage tantrum to heart as serious criticism of their parenting then I really wouldn’t recommend raising children, they will walk all over you.

I understand that you had a bad relationship with your parents growing up, and that is obviously colouring your view here.

Expecting a child to leave a place they are at, at the agreed time is not controlling,
expecting them to be home at a reasonable time is not controlling.
Punishing them for breaking their agreement by removing an activity they want to do is not punitive.

RockingMyFiftiesNot · 27/07/2021 22:51

@HandScreen Not angry, just gobsmacked at your attitude. I have happy, well adjusted
adult children thank you very much.

HandScreen · 28/07/2021 06:50

@itsgettingwierd Wow, you sound intense.

HandScreen · 28/07/2021 06:53

@StrawberryShortcakeAndTea My kids don't walk all over me at all. The key difference between you and me - from what you're saying - is that I don't walk all over my kids.

HandScreen · 28/07/2021 06:55

If my teen came to me within the bounds of a serious conversation and told me they though I was unnecessarily controlling and punitive of course I would discuss and address why they felt this way.

From everything you've said, and how dismissive you are about your children letting you know you are controlling, this doesn't seem one bit true.

sashh · 28/07/2021 07:05

He needs to walk to the station, be on the train and walk from the station home.

What ever time it is he is better in a group than on his own.

I've been the teenager who had to travel home alone, in my case I had to walk across town alone, get the bus that didn't stop outside my home so I had to walk another 15 mins alone after I got off the bus at the other end.

15 mins after I got in the bus my friends caught went past my front door.

At least he came home! If I was going to be late, not always my fault, sometimes public transport let me down, I used to be terrified of going home to face the wrath of my parents.

Ditto

A couple of times (not at fourteen, fifteen onwards), I didn't go home.
They called the police.

I have a feeling my parents did this because the time I stayed out over night they were angry but not as angry as I expected. I was about 20 so I'm fairly sure they were told it was not a police matter.

Bumblecattabbybee · 28/07/2021 07:21

Hahaha I totally misunderstood this title. I thought your 14 year old had done something naughty and you were considerkng if they needed to leave town over it 😂

HandScreen · 28/07/2021 10:16

@Bumblecattabbybee

Hahaha I totally misunderstood this title. I thought your 14 year old had done something naughty and you were considerkng if they needed to leave town over it 😂
😂
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