Page 10 | Tell me about your teenager's stupid behaviour

TeenagedTwit · 2023-12-06T04:30:17+00:00

16yo Wants a job. Apparently. Weirdly, a job hasn't fluttered into his bedroom and landed on his lap so he is most perplexed. Picked up an application form for him from a local supermarket. Encourage him to get a pen (no easy feat) and sit down to complete application. 20 seconds later... "What's my name?" And that was just the beginning. I swear a 4yo would make a better employee. I fear for our future. ***Note from MNHQ - we've edited the title as we had a few reports about one of the terms used there. We're sure there was no intention to offend but it was clearly upsetting a few people and we didn't want the issue to derail the thread***

Coatscoatscoast · 06/12/2023 16:06

Told 13yo DS to come straight home from school as he had opticians. He normally did come straight home but I drummed it in as was just after covid so appointments were difficult to get. 3.30 I get a call from him at the local park where his shoe had found its way into a locked tennis court. 🙄🙄

MargaretThursday · 06/12/2023 16:09

Not a teenager, but dd2, who I used to say was researching for a book titled "101 ways to read after lights out". This was a cumulation of a year's hard work aged about age 7yo.

She thought she'd try with a glow stick. So she found one, got it working... and found that it wasn't bright enough. So she had another "good idea" that if she cut the top off and poured it into a plate it might be brighter.
It wasn't, so she decided to hide the evidence on top of her bookshelf... and tipped the internals of a glowstick all over her. Being a little bit of a drama queen she then told me she couldn't see properly and her eyes were all gritty so we had one of those trips to A&E with me telling the nurse not to give her any sympathy whatsoever.

Ds after I'd told him he hadn't been for a shower as he, his towel and the shower were totally dry. "But you didn't tell me I had to turn the water on." Tbf I had only said, "get into the shower" but I thought the rest was obvious. he was most put out when I told him he had to go in again with the water running. "But I'll get wet..."

Dsis at about 10yo came and complained to dm that her bed was wet. Dm came to look and eventually traced the wet patch to a leak in her hot waterbottle.
"Oh yes," dsis said. "I poked it with a pair of scissors."
"Why?" asked dm.
"I wanted to see what would happen."
I remember dm's words chosen very carefully to make sure that dsis was aware that it was kind of obvious what happened if you pierced something with water inside. I hate to tell you, but dsis is now a surgeon.

Invisimamma · 06/12/2023 16:10

willowtalk · 06/12/2023 16:04

Why is he vaping? It’s so bad for their lungs - he’s not even fully developed yet. They contain an addictive drug (nicotine) at the very least and can contain toxic chemicals.

The UK gov need to introduce legislation that only enables vaping if you have a prescription from the dr to quite smoking - that’s what they do in Aus/NZ.

it’s not a harmless product

Show quote history

I am well aware of the dangers of vaping, I actually work in public health policy, specifically smoking cessation and tobacco control so I am more aware than most. The irony is not lost on me. I absolutely support a ban of flavoured and disposable vapes.

I don't condone or encourage vaping at all, but he's a 13yr old who takes risks and makes mistakes. We've talked it through but I can't keep him locked up and control his every move, he needs to make his own decisions and face the consequences.

awaynboilyurheid · 06/12/2023 16:10

I asked my daughter ( teenage years) to hang out washing when I was at work there was a huge pile of wet towels /clothes all on the worktop I’d lifted them out so she would see it, came home they were still there, she had hung out 2 slightly damp tea towels I’d just put in the machine after breakfast.

willowtalk · 06/12/2023 16:13

Invisimamma · 06/12/2023 16:10

I am well aware of the dangers of vaping, I actually work in public health policy, specifically smoking cessation and tobacco control so I am more aware than most. The irony is not lost on me. I absolutely support a ban of flavoured and disposable vapes.

I don't condone or encourage vaping at all, but he's a 13yr old who takes risks and makes mistakes. We've talked it through but I can't keep him locked up and control his every move, he needs to make his own decisions and face the consequences.

Show quote history

I couldn’t consciously let my son vape, knowing that the consequence he may have to deal with is a collapsed lung or worse (long term effects of chemical exposure).

I’d outright ban it. It can be controlled and it’s not impossible to do. Some things we need to do for their own protection - boys particularly

Northsideoftheriver · 06/12/2023 16:15

Set the microwave on fire by misreading the cooking time. Luckily I was there to intervene. She is not allowed to microwave anything and fully accepts this fate. She will shout me from the opposite side of the house at 6am at the top of her voice. Throws away new things she's bought, by accident, I'm always having to check bin bags. She must just gather stuff up and not check what's there. In the bin it goes. She once caught the wrong bus at school and ended up miles from home. Her phone died just as she said which direction she thought she was heading. God knows how I found her. She's lost her new phone twice in a busy shopping centre and by some miracle it's been handed in. Other than that she's good.

Invisimamma · 06/12/2023 16:18

willowtalk · 06/12/2023 16:13

I couldn’t consciously let my son vape, knowing that the consequence he may have to deal with is a collapsed lung or worse (long term effects of chemical exposure).

I’d outright ban it. It can be controlled and it’s not impossible to do. Some things we need to do for their own protection - boys particularly

Show quote history

What do you mean 'consciously let him vape.' I don't 'let him' he's not allowed to vape, he knows I don't condone it, but also I can't be with him 24/7 nobody can constantly supervise a 13yr old.
He made a mistake, he was unwell as consequence, I'm sure we all did stupid things and took silly risks as teenagers, majority of us turned out okay in the end.

How do you suggest stopping a 6ft 1" 13yr old from doing something?

SinnerBoy · 06/12/2023 16:21

I destroyed our brand new microwave in 1982 (aged 12). I got home and my parents were out, there was a note saying to cover the plate and microwave on full power for two and a half minutes. What do you put on plates of food, when you leave them in the oven to keep warm?

Tin foil, what idiot would put cling film into a hot environment?

I watched excitedly as the sparks flew, thinking that that must be how it heated things... until it started to smell of burning plastic and stopped working. When I got the plate out, the bloody foil burned my hands.

I didn't get in trouble, much to my amazement as my stepmother sympathised entirely that her note didn't specify cling film and I wasn't to know.

flowerchild2000 · 06/12/2023 16:35

Catza · 06/12/2023 08:34

I once worked with someone who told their daughter off for not helping with cleaning. The daughter (16) got upset and rang her friend. Friend helpfully suggested she rings an ambulance and says mum is crazy. Ambulance came out and as the woman was in some shock and distress over the situation, they “processed her” as having MH crisis and took her to the hospital. Psychiatry liaison assessed her and the moron put in her records “doesn’t have insight into her condition”, discharged her home with home crisis team support. Visiting nurses at the very first visit could clearly see she had no MH condition but the service psychiatrist wouldn’t discharge her because of the “no insight” comment. It took a week to reason with him that she couldn’t possibly have an insight into a condition she doesn’t have.

Show quote history

I'm speechless! That is insane!

vidflex · 06/12/2023 16:37

One of mine came screaming down the stairs that the bathroom was on fire.....they mistook the steam from the hot bath for smoke.

gannett · 06/12/2023 16:37

Dsis at about 10yo came and complained to dm that her bed was wet. Dm came to look and eventually traced the wet patch to a leak in her hot waterbottle.
"Oh yes," dsis said. "I poked it with a pair of scissors."
"Why?" asked dm.
"I wanted to see what would happen."
I remember dm's words chosen very carefully to make sure that dsis was aware that it was kind of obvious what happened if you pierced something with water inside. I hate to tell you, but dsis is now a surgeon.

Incredible origin story. I suppose she now gets to spend her life poking things with sharp objects to see what will happen.

LoveableDave · 06/12/2023 16:43

She once caught the wrong bus at school and ended up miles from home.

Daughter visiting a University, from home, A, got on the train labelled B and got off at C for the University. When she got back to station C to return home she got on the train labelled B and was almost there when she realised her error in not getting the train going home to A! Luckily the guard was very sympathetic and let her get on the correct one!

flowerchild2000 · 06/12/2023 16:43

AppleCrispMacchiato · 06/12/2023 15:16

Well I'm sorry but I simply don't believe that for a second. (And I've co-authored peer reviewed journal papers on racial bias within psychiatric treatment, so it's not a case of not understanding how that bias can influence things.) I think there's a lot that your former co-worker left out, and I bet money the daughter would have a very different recollection of events.

Show quote history

Are you really that sheltered? All it takes is one man saying a woman is crazy and that's it for her. It's probably the most widely used weapon against women.

ohdamnitjanet · 06/12/2023 16:48

VeronicaBeccabunga · 06/12/2023 12:53

My daughter's friend thought chickens suckled their young. Because chickens have breasts. She was doing A-level biology and went on to become a teacher.

There’s hope for us all

Pigsinpainauchocolat · 06/12/2023 16:48

Alltheyearround · 06/12/2023 14:28

I have to confess, as a teen when watching TV, an on screen recommendation was made to ask bill payer before phoning the expensive number for whatever it was.

Who is Bill Payer? I said.

Bill Payer became a legend in our household.

Snort

ConsistentlyElectrifiedElves · 06/12/2023 16:49

Sometimes it's bred out of naivety. Not a teenager, or my child, but a new trainee at work.

I was teaching him how to do something and asked him to go and take a copy of a bit of paper I handed him. He happily disappeared, then came back 5 minutes later looking very sheepish and said "err... I've never actually used a photocopier before - can you show me please?"!

Another new trainee had to be given very basic Excel training (we literally only use it to present numbers in columns and maybe an "=SUM" formula) as he'd never used it before.

I know not everyone goes on to work in offices, but these kinds of things, along with budgeting and taxes, always surprise me that we're not taught or shown as children.

Blueink · 06/12/2023 16:51

Today’s one is that I’m not a miracle worker who can instantly take away tiredness?!

ohdamnitjanet · 06/12/2023 16:52

MamTDM · 06/12/2023 13:12

@laveritable - they are also funny and kind and affectionate and fantastic company a lot of the time, so don't despair too much!

This is very true. My ds was never the brightest spark tbf but nevertheless the less is undeniably lovely.

Pigsinpainauchocolat · 06/12/2023 16:52

Mum2teenboys · 06/12/2023 15:15

DS was standing by the window. I asked him to close the curtains. He asked where they were.

Oh dear lord give this poster strength beyond all measure!

VapeVamp12 · 06/12/2023 16:54

Okay my son is only 3 but this thread reminded me of when I was in a car rental place a few months ago and a grown man called his dad to ask for his national insurance number.

Atethehalloweenchocs · 06/12/2023 16:54

Talking to my aunt about what she needed from the shop when my 13 yo cousin came in. As he was passing the fridge, my aunt asked 'do we have any milk? He stopped dead in his tracks, looked really confused and then patted down his pockets saying 'do I have any milk?' like he may have a pint lurking in his pocket unexpectedly. We laughed so hard. He was completed nonplussed and had no idea why it was funny.

Stopsmotheringmeeeeeee · 06/12/2023 17:09

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Vegemiteandhoneyontoast · 06/12/2023 17:09

ButterCupPie · 06/12/2023 12:04

I also was told of a form that a colleague received, and where it said 'print' (for their full name) someone had used a pen to do a pretty good impression of their name in Courier New, around 12 pt.

Show quote history

I once did that. The teacher told me to copy out the first lines of a book, so I did my best to copy it exactly as in the book, serifs and all, but I was 7 at the time.

BreakfastAtMilliways · 06/12/2023 17:09

Catza · 06/12/2023 08:34

I once worked with someone who told their daughter off for not helping with cleaning. The daughter (16) got upset and rang her friend. Friend helpfully suggested she rings an ambulance and says mum is crazy. Ambulance came out and as the woman was in some shock and distress over the situation, they “processed her” as having MH crisis and took her to the hospital. Psychiatry liaison assessed her and the moron put in her records “doesn’t have insight into her condition”, discharged her home with home crisis team support. Visiting nurses at the very first visit could clearly see she had no MH condition but the service psychiatrist wouldn’t discharge her because of the “no insight” comment. It took a week to reason with him that she couldn’t possibly have an insight into a condition she doesn’t have.

Show quote history

Yes, well they do say that the psychiatrists are madder than their patients half the time. 🙄

TarantinoIsAMisogynist · 06/12/2023 17:11

AppleCrispMacchiato · 06/12/2023 14:56

I used to work in psychiatric care and have worked in NHS mental health services, there's absolutely no way this happened the way the person you used to work with described it, unless maybe it was many decades ago (and even then I'm iffy).

An ambulance wouldn't come out just because a pissed off teenager said "Mum's acting crazy." They would ask her a lot of detailed questions about exactly what "acting crazy" means, they would ask about violence, they would ask about self-harm threats, about access to weapons. Unless the teenager was capable of making up a lot of very detailed very malicious lies on the spot (eg claiming her mum had expressed suicidal thoughts and was holding a knife), 999 operators would not send out an ambulance. If the daughter did claim her mother was actively suicidal and holding a knife, or something equally serious, that's a pretty alarming level of deceit for a kid to engage in just because she's pissed off at being told to clean her room, and that in itself is a major red flag that intervention is needed.

And what does "in a state of shock and distress" mean? Most people would be embarrassed and pissed off if their kid phoned 999 just because they got told off, not so visibly shocked and distressed as to make paramedics refer it for a psych assessment. If she was visibly that distressed it indicates a pretty serious fight, not just mum giving a telling off.

The only way they can make someone go to the hospital is if two different doctors both agree that the person is at acute and immediate risk of danger to themselves or to others. There's been a huge bed crisis in NHS mental health care for a long time, I've personal first hand experience of people attempting suicide and not being admitted due to lack of beds, people going missing and being tracked down in obviously very scary and unsafe circumstances not being admitted.

It's possible your former co-worker agreed to go to the hospital voluntarily, of course.

But I'm betting there's a hell of a lot more to this story that what she told you.

Show quote history

Agreed, I said the same upthread.

There are some funny stories in this thread, but there are also some awful ones, and some that are obviously made up or heavily exaggerated/embellished.