Finding Parenting A Teen Overwhelming

[Halllisa]

Hi - am I the only one who finds parenting teens overwhelming. My son has just got his GCSE results which weren't great. He has however got the offer of an electrical apprenticeship and will do functional maths and English at college also which is great.

He's been through a lot as in lockdown he lost all his hair due to alopecia and so it's been a hard slog to get through Covid, support him with his hair loss and get him back to school.

Supporting him to make right decisions for his future and not be overwhelmed by sorting it out I find hard. 😢

Gosh you’re not the only one, I’ve found it really hard. DD self harms, can’t attend all lessons due to anxiety, has very limited social life. I long for the days of toddlers & potty training. DD has got her results to go on to college now & I hope it’s going to be a fresh start for her…

I detest parenting teens. I found up until age 10 easy. I enjoyed the majority. It's gone downhill since then. My eldest is 15 and a half and is just returning to being pleasant. My youngest has turned 13 and overnight she's turned from a loving sunny child into stressed and surly and snapping at everyone. On top of that we've had four years of mental health issues, eating disorders assessment for ASD and I'm about to start all over again for the youngest. It's relentless without those cute little periods of charm and sweetness I got when they were younger.

Sending a massive hug. It is stressful and worrying. My DS hasn’t got quite what he needs to go where he wants and we are waiting to see if they are going to reject his application. He is totally unfazed and thinks it will be fine. I am looking at alternatives and he won’t even look at them. Life was so easy when they were babies and toddlers!