Mood swings - is this normal?

[mumblechum]

My ds is only 12 but tbh it feels like he's been a teenager forever!

He has really strong mood swings, eg he got his end of term report yesterday, 1 A, 9Bs,5Cs which as far as I'm concerned is fine (he's at a highly academic grammar, and lots of his classmates are on the G&T register, Mensa, etc.)

He's distraught, as some people (girls, surprise surprise) got 15 A's!!! He then says he hates himself because he's stupid, fat (he's perfect for his height according to the BMI index), has no friends (he's never in!). I spend about half an hour being Mrs Positive Pants and eventually he seems cheered up.

10 mins later and he's almost manically happy, for no apparent reason.

Can this really just be testosterone ?!?!

I don't remember any of this, maybe it's different for boys...

I have a 12 yr and a 13 yr ds and they are just the same. Happy and chatty one minute and in a foul mood the next. Ds2 12 is the worst. He will barricade himself in his room in a sulk. If I ignore him he will come down 10 mins later ok.
Ds 2 also thinks he is fat, which he isn't and ds1 is convinced he has a huge forehead, which he hasn't.
They spend more time in the bathroom than I do then moan that ther hair isn't right or they have spots.
At the moment they come home from school, dump their bags, get changed and go out again. They are out so much that I start to miss them, then an hour after they are home and are stomping around, hogging the shower and generally just causing chaos I want them to go out again.
Oh for the days when they went to bed at 7!

God yes, 7.00pm bedtimes were bliss. My ds goes to bed well after me now.