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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

please explain why my teens do this and add your own drive you crazy moments...

120 replies

FunInTheSunD · 25/11/2013 19:31

My DS 15 drives my crazy because he walks about in just his boxers and moans he's cold...
I put their tea in front of them and DD 17 says... is it hot???
They both ask whats for tea... (its actually written on a white board in the kitchen) I tell them... then they ask me again at least twice before I start to cook it....

And I buy food on a Saturday and if I don't hide some of it they eat it all by Sunday night... does anyone else have to hide food from their teen

Please tell me what your teen does that drives you crazy and we'll see if we can analyse their behaviour between us...

OP posts:
clam · 29/11/2013 19:18

Or, load the dishwasher full to bursting, but neglect to switch it on so it actually washes anything.

SirChenjin · 29/11/2013 19:23

DD sits on the sofa watching her crappy US 'comedies', then stuffs the wrappers of whatever it is she's eating down the sides of the sofa. I actually found a china dinner plate down there once - obviously the long trek to the kitchen was too much for her. And don't even get me started on the state of her room.....Angry

Neither of the teens seem to be able to get themselves organised, which results in last minute panics and tantrums as they are leaving for school in the morning. Apparently it is my job to look out their gym kits/physics homework/pencil cases and make sure that their homework is up to date - who knew??

Soditall · 29/11/2013 19:35

Mine 17 and 15 DS's.

17 year old's room is a tip and despite me constantly asking him to take his dirty washing and crockery into the kitchen he always waits till I've flaming washed up and done all 3 loads of washing(there's 7 of us so I have that much to do every day)can't trust him to use the washing machine as he'd bloody blow it up!

He's always late home,always loosing phone's or breaking them or loosing chargers and forever loosing his inhaler(asthma)waits till he feels half dead to tell us he's lost another one.

Eats like food is going out of fashion(6 slices of toast for supper last night)his dad's not pleased.
He'll finish all the milk and not tell us,he easily uses 4 pints a day on his own,mainly on cereal.

Boils the kettle dry!

He can be the nicest guy going when he's not being bloody moody,sulky or miserable.

15 year old constantly asks whats for dinner despite being told several times.
Burns everything he cooks because he just won't watch what he's doing.

Eats constantly and still complains that he's hungry!
Drinks like a Goldfish constantly finishing of juice,squash,fizzy and failing to tell us.

Can be the most patient person in the world and then flip out other nothing!

When he's in a mood(usually if he's been told of for something he's done wrong)goes off on one like a toddler having a tantrum.

Constantly walks around in just boxers,I swear it's just so he doesn't have to answer the door even though it's usually for him and his oldest brother.

Has a wardrobe full of clothes but insists on wearing only jogging bottoms(he only has 2 pairs)and me and his Dad hate them.

But he has the patience of a saint(the majority of the time)with his littlest sister(6) and asd.

honeybeeridiculous · 29/11/2013 21:30

TOWELS!! They are everywhere, I swear they use 3 for each shower a just fling them over the bannister!
*Socks all over the bedroom floor
*eats food like it's his last meal, claims his packed lunch is gone by break time, even tho he has wraps, sausage roll, 3-4 pieces fruit, choc bar, dairylea crap, yogurt
*asks as soon as he gets in, what's for tea, then asks every half hour till its served up, if its chicken, chips and salad he loves me, stew, hates my guts!
*has a shower every morning, then puts his onesie on to eat breakfast Hmm then gets his uniform on
*walks around in his boxers, although is often naked, WHY?!

Doinmummy · 29/11/2013 21:42

You should all have been in my house this evening! DD going to a VERY IMPORTANT party tonight. As ever she's not left enough time to get ready( 5 bleeding hours should be enough for anyone).

Having left the bathroom smothered in fake tan, dirty knickers, bits of cotton wool covered in nail varnish and sopping wet towels,she comes down and asks me to put false eyelashes on her. I have never done this before. Obviously I couldn't get the fuckers to stick. Cue DD ripping them off stomping upstairs, ranting at what a useless mother I am, saying she's now not going to party. Obviously then decides she IS going and can I drive like fucking Ayton Senna to get her there in time.

boschy · 29/11/2013 22:11

have you all got versions of my children then?? shit down the sofa - check. responsibility for all their possessions - check. towels everywhre - check. state of bathroom - check. crap on TV - check.

also DD1 - hogs big sofa, and claims 'personal space issues' should anyone else want to sit on it. I think the 'personal space issues' actually relate to the fact that she has all her worldly possessions clustered around her...

Doinmummy · 29/11/2013 22:19

Oh god yes! The camp that DD sets up on the sofa. She is surrounded by biscuits , phone , makeup bag, wet wipes, nail varnish( which I have banned from the lounge due to new carpet) she's wrapped up in her blankie ( even though she's turned the heating up to 30 degrees)

SirChenjin · 29/11/2013 22:25

Oh yes - nail varnish on the sofa Angry. Caught DD putting MY dark red nail varnish on again whilst sitting on our cream sofa and watching her drivel on TV. She has been expressly forbidden from doing this, but I arrived home from work early and caught her at it - just about exploded at her, which resulted in much eye rolling Angry

chickydoo · 29/11/2013 22:36

I love this thread..
Shoe box in porch, do they put their flaming shoes in, NO.. I trip over them everyday.
They do put their football boots in the box, caked with mud..no cleaning of boots of course, the shoebox is now half full of dried mud. I am not cleaning it out!
DD's bedroom yesterday
Food under bed
4 cups with stuff in
2 teaspoons
Lots of empty packets of crisps etc.
Dirty knickers, sanitary pads, (used)
I get the underwear in trousers or tights every day. I have 3 teens.
(2 boys, and a girl) and a younger one still in primary school.
Why am I the only one who knows where the dishwasher is?
Why is there no food in the house?
Why is their never any printer ink or paper?
Why are their empty cartons of OJ in the fridge?
Why are their phone batteries always dead?
Why do my toiletries vanish?
Why am I the only one to put empty loo rolls in the bin? Actually why am I the only one to put anything in the bin?

A challenge, my DH calls it...

CointreauVersial · 29/11/2013 22:37

YY to inside-out mud-encrusted football socks that shower you with crumbs of mud when you unravel them. And the boxers and dressing gown combo.

CointreauVersial · 29/11/2013 22:40

And dirty knickers and tights entwined, gusset side out, left all over DD1's bedroom floor. Yuk.

TheOriginalNutcracker · 29/11/2013 22:47

This thread is brilliant. My two teen dd's do all of the things mentioned on here, every single one, including the wine glasses, pinching make-up, brushes, tights etc, towels and clothes on floor and clean clothes in wash.

Ds is nearly 11, and he does most of them too, lol.

Sparklingbrook · 29/11/2013 23:20

Ooh the football socks make me want to scream. DS1 plays on a couple of Astoturf pitches. one is covered in a layer of sand, the other in tiny rubber balls. Every time I turn a pair of socks from inside out I get sand/balls/mud pinging everywhere.

I have bought DS1 a t shirt/shorts combo for bed today. He has the shorts on, they come to his knees. So much better than the boxers. Smile

Doinmummy · 29/11/2013 23:23

Oh yes! I forgot about the grubby knickers inside tights, sometimes with the added bonus of a panty liner attached.

Cellophane wrappers from tampons strewn everywhere . And don't get me started on face wipes- stuffed into mugs, on the floor, on the windowsill, left in the bathroom basin, under her pillow.

Awks · 29/11/2013 23:26

We live en route to school. So dd2 always hs someone to walk with (which is good). This also means we live on the way home which means her mates come to us on the way home to use the loo (as loo paper in school is hard, apparently) and then inevitably they get a drink, and a bag of crisps and fuck off home

boschy · 29/11/2013 23:44

AND AND AND... the state of the bathroom generally - they use a different face flannel every day, always covered in make up debris; there are used cotton buds everywhere, ditto hair grips, bin over flowing with used tampons/wrappers, make up wipes all over the place, lumpy blobs of shampoo down the shower screen.

WHY are they so slovenly?

Doinmummy · 29/11/2013 23:49

Dirty plates in the bedroom with knives welded to them by tomato ketchup.

DorisHerod · 29/11/2013 23:54

Lovely cheering thread! I've had a right day of it with my 2 teens doing ALL of these things that you mention. Aargh!

DD : Being late and it's apparently my fault. Forgetting key bit of homework and it's apparently my fault. Bathroom left like bomb site including orange foundation wiped on wall next to mirror...god forbid DD should have to walk across the room and get a tissue to wipe her makeup on.

Sofa turned into a camp of craft bits, sweet wrappers, blankets, crusted over plates, tea cups and discarded earrings balanced on the arms. Shouts at younger brother when he attempts to sit down on other end of sofa.

Knickers and tights combo left on floor in bedroom.

DS : late, lost kit, stamping around house blaming everyone, borrows 20 quid, goes to cinema and texts to say three extra coming home for dinner with him (no problem with that). Cook extra food. He arrives an hour late, alone. 'Oh yeah I forgot to say they couldn't come they had to go home'. Raids fridge, ignoring the food that I've cooked. Remind him about sport fixture tomorrow. Stamps around saying doesn't want to go why am I making him? Forgetting he personally told team organiser that he was available to play tomorrow. Can I get him out of it? No I say. He stamps to his room in a sulk.

Etc etc

boschy · 30/11/2013 00:00

but they're lovely really, and so much more interesting than toddlers!

nooka · 30/11/2013 00:04

I'm glad that I'm not the only one with a slovenly daughter! The knickers with pads in is just so so gross Shock I'm sure I was never like that! Grin

Dwerf · 30/11/2013 00:14

'a teen is a toddler with 11 years practice'. I think I had wiped most of these from my mind now the older two have moved out, but dd2 is displaying much of this behaviour (oh how I laughed when she screeched that she wasn't a hormonal teen because I'M ONLY TWELVE!!!!...AND A HALF!!!) Dd3 isn't quite there yet, but took herself off to bed without being nagged the other night, I'm sure this was how it started with dd2...

RhondaJean · 30/11/2013 00:29

Having read this thread Grin I have realised my dd1 at 14 is actually really really good.

However the 9 yo appears to bea teenager already!

Mess - laziness - eating like a horse - all ticked!

honeybeeridiculous · 30/11/2013 09:57

sparklingbrook I hate those tiny rubber balls! Took me a while to realise where they were coming from thick but DS trainers seem to hold onto them for days and they go EVERYWHERE! The poor cat had some in his water bowl Hmm

Sparklingbrook · 30/11/2013 10:03

honey we have a houseful. They were in his bed the other day. Angry His trainers are in the porch and I can see they are full of them.

octopusinastringbag · 01/12/2013 08:18

I bring you:

an 'invisible' carpet
an attitude the size of Olympus Mons
an eye roll that surely would win a world record
dirty laundry mountains also the size of Olympus Mons

but also a lovely daughter who sadly doesn't realise just how lovely she is. I'm on a mission to make her realise,somehow. Easy.....

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