We are now have 2 teenage children. DS14 and teenage DD13. We live in the north and apart from last week have had a lot of bad weather recently so bad habits have crept in. Both dc’s seem addicted to playing silly games on iPads and phones and lazying around any time they are not at school or with friends and if does my head in. If we ask them to do any simple thing it’s ‘in a minute’ and it takes me to ask several times and shout before they move to do any of it I.e. please can you feed the dog, lay the table, homework, pick clothes up off bedroom floor, make bed etc and it all kicks off.
We don’t give them pocket money as such but pay for phones and usage but they do get money to go uptown if meeting friends or if going to cinema etc. They really don’t regularly do anything in the home to help and DH was out of work for 6 months last year so we couldn’t afford this on a regular basis. We have tried small amounts in past but DD would spend every penny of it on chocolate. Or money would go missing and they would argue and blame one another etc. We even got them both cash boxes with keys.
Anyway they are both nearly as tall as me now and both getting stronger and more aggressive and back chatty. We have tried taking phones and iPads off them temporarily (which works temporarily) but I really don’t like to resort to this over every issue.
How do other parents cope any tips for a happy household so I am not either an unrespected skivvy or a dictator and the are helping a little?
Both of their bedrooms are tips and both often treat me with contempt and hatred especially DD. DH isn’t in much due to work so any disciplining mainly falls to me. But last night DH knocked WIFI off and confiscated phones and iPads and they both blamed me and tried to take it out on me as I had been complaining about the state of their bedrooms earlier on. DS was so angry he used the F word to me and stormed off to bed at 7.30 and that was him until this morning.