To think most teens are actually pretty fab?

[NeedAHoliday2021]

My dc are getting older (10-14) and I’m loving this age of independence, hanging out together and moments of real closeness. It’s not just them, their friends are lovely, friendly, polite. There’s moments of hormones but they support each other. I love watching them grow and have enjoyed every stage but everyone always tells me teens is where that stop and they’ll be a nightmare.

Am I alone in actually liking teens? Not just my own. Some teens are dicks but so are some adults. Most are nice though aren’t they? This is prompted by multiple Fb posts realising dc are going to secondary and parents are yearning for their babies back. I just don’t feel like that.

Youngest Dd 13 forgot about Mother's Day although she had walked to our local off license shop to buy me chocolates. She gave it to me yesterday and made up by singing me few of my favourite songs and also danced for a song as I love watching her dance!
She is very kind and considerate, last time she went to town she bought a sandwich for a homeless person !!

I'm a secondary teacher, and I think teenagers are awesome! Great company, hilarious, and they usually have plenty of snacks on them.

My eldest Dd21 was not a trouble at all during her teenage years. She was an introvert compared to my youngest but that has also changed since she started university

Another one here who was told awful tales about teenagers, how my girls would be brats who slammed doors and how a single mum couldn't raise a boy well through teenage years.

Well my girls are amazing, thoughtful, funny, caring and just all round brilliant. Eldest is 22 now and my best friend, we chat for hours about anything and everything and it's always been like that. I started taking her to gigs with me when she was 3 and by 14 we were firm concert buddies. Caused no drama whatsoever in her teens. Youngest DD is only 11 but just the same as her sister, we have such a good laugh together so I have no worries about her teenage years. When the 3 of us are together it's just awesome.

And as for a single mum not being able to raise a good boy, I beg to differ. My DS is 19 and I couldn't have hoped for a more loving, good natured, emotionally intelligent, helpful, drama-free young man if I'd tried. He's an absolute gem. I love hanging out with him (we both love horror films and comic books so we have tons in common and tons to talk about), and now he's passed his test and got a car he's the first one to offer to go for the weekly shop.

As their friends/boyfriend/girlfriend are also brilliant kids. I love it when I've got a house full of noise and chaos - and they all help to tidy up afterwards!

I'm on my third teen - two grown up, my 16yo and a soon to be 13yo.

All my teens have been lovely and never had any problems aside from general stuff like being untidy. I've found 13/14 the harder teen years. Love having young adult children too. Went out for mothers day meal and my 21yo and 16yo took their boyfriends too, was nice seeing our family starting to grow after losing some of the older generation over the last few years.

My teens are great and it is so much more enjoyable parenting them than when they were babies / toddlers. They are kind, thoughtful, interesting and funny and I can now, most of the time, just enjoy spending time with them as the 'groundwork' has been done.

Bumping this, because teens can be really amazing and great fun.

@BlimeyO looking at the date I posted, this was the day before I got covid 😂(it was just before my 40th birthday which is why I remember it but completely forgot I posted it). Dtds are now 11 and dd1 is almost 15. Sadly for dd1, her friends aren’t being great and keep leaving her out of stuff but she’s happy with who she is and not interested in changing for them. I feel sad because she’s lovely but it does mean she wants to hang out with us so that’s a bonus. Older dc are more fun than babies imo.

Nope, my toughest experience of parenting so far. I have teenage girls and my sister, who has teen boys, seems to find it far easier.

And they have no interest in spending time with me whatsoever
My eldest (21) is a joy.

@harrassedmumto3 how old are yours? What part is tough? (I do find the psychological side tricky sometimes, knowing what the right thing to say is). I’m not saying teens are easy just easier than babies - my babies were hard. Dd1 cried a lot and dtds were twins and I had a toddler. It was constant and exhausting.

The moodiness and being surgically attached to their phones.

13 & 16

Maybe dd1’s friend issues means she’s on her phone less and twins basically live with their best friend so less need you message other friends.

Sorry, I don't understand

Mine are fab too. I know I'm lucky.

I find young teens harder work than older teens but once they are 15/16 they are usually good fun. All mine have had polite friends too. I've currently got two in early.20's, one 16 and one 13. The 13yo is the most work currently.

My mum died this week and my young adult children have been so supportive, not sure what I'd have done without them. Once children become adults they are definitely worth the hard spells during raising them.

@Tumbleweed101 sorry about your mum but that’s lovely they’ve supported you.

I have a 15 year old boy and a 16 year old girl. They’ve had their moments but on the whole they’re really lovely and good fun. I was dreading the teenage years to be honest expecting drinking, smoking, being disrespectful etc etc but we’ve had none of that yet. I know there’s still plenty of time though!

I also have an adult son who is disabled and i sometimes think that every stage of parenting him has been so challenging emotionally and physically that anything else is a doddle 😂😂

I love having teens. I actually enjoy them growing up, I don't understand the treating them like babies/they're my babies way of thinking. I am proud of them growing up into young adults and we have a lot of fun.