We're merging some sections into the Parenting area

[MichaelMumsnet]

Hi all,
We’re doing some work on making the Talk boards more useful and user-friendly for both regular and new users. After looking at some stats for the site, we think we could boost activity on the whole by merging some of the lesser used sections.

We’re proposing to fold this section into the general Parenting area.

This should increase the number of topics in the section - and hopefully lead to more posts and responses to members.

[Midlifemumofteens]

Please don't merge this board; I have only recently started using Mumsnet again since I discovered there was a separate section for taking about parenting teens - it would be such a shame to lose this.

[Catmint]

Another lurker asking you to leave it alone please, mnhq.

[Waterandlemonjuice]

I’m sure parents of teens spend just as much and have as much purchasing power as other posters. I know I do! So please don’t make it hard for us to find advice on here.

[TanMateix]

I think it is definitively not going to work. It is better to keep them separated. Just had a look at the parenting session and you could scroll down for miles before finding the not so common threads about teenagers.

It does also mean that you get a lot of advice from well intentioned women, with very strong opinions of what good child rearing is but no actual experience. (It feels a bit about mixing pregnancy with menopause, both are women’s body functions but decades apart)

[applesarerroundandshiny]

Oh no don't agree at all. Been on Mumsnet for years and now tend to look at particular sections which are relevant to my life - teenagers being one of them. I have no interest in potty training or terrible two's.

[domesticslattern]

Please don't. You could merge pre-teens and teens, but not the rest.

[gleegeek]

Please don't do this. Teenager threads are so useful and completely different to younger children.

[bibbitybobbityyhat]

Seriously? All the years we've been moaning about too many topics and you're going to take away one that is actually useful and deserves to be separate! Please don't! This is not just a site for 20 and 30 something mums to be and parents of pre-schoolers.

[Hatemadeupwords]

Agree with everything

[applesarerroundandshiny]

Also if I'm asking advice around boundaries for a 16 year old I prefer to hear experiences of other parents of teenagers, not the parent of a new born they can't imagine ever being independent, or, even worse the posters who advise what they did as a teenager in 1995.

[Mentounasc]

No. If it ain't broke, don't merge it.

[TheSmallAssassin]

I've posted in the site section too - please don't remove the teenage section. I may not visit this board as much as others, but I get so much more out of the advice here than my idling elsewhere.

[bibbitybobbityyhat]

If HQ want to do some housework - how about cleaning up AIBU?

[TrixieFranklin]

Lots of topics could be removed such as 'The Plughole' what even is that? There's 1 post there.. asking what it is

[NaughtToThreeSadOnions]

What an odd thing to propose.

Most sites i've seen like the fact that parenting is broken down in to age groups.

Babies are different to primary school kids and toddlers are different to teenagers.

Toddlers come with their own set of behaviours as do teenagers.

By merging topics you might increase traffic but what you'll end up with is

My toddler wet its pants as potty training isn't going so well what do i do? And the teenagers parents going haven't got a clue its been 15 years since i had to do that.

Or my teenager out all nigjt i'm scared and the advice being have you tried the naughty step.

Basically the two are incompatable. This decision seems to be made on money and numbers. Not the need for areas to support parents

[BackforGood]

That doesn't make any sense. Teenagers are lovely, but the come with their own, completely separate issues.
There are tons and tons of threads all over MN that rarely get traffic, but that can't be said about Teenagers.
Very weird choice.
I hope that all these posts make you think again.

[AlexaShutUp]

Another person who would prefer to keep the sections separate. The issues are so different, it wouldn't be helpful to combine them.

[AmericanHousewifeFan]

Please keep it separate. I don't post much (as there is usually a thread already) but I lurk a lot and have learned a lot from the teenagers section.

If it was mixed I don't think I'd bother. I don't want to trawl through pages of little kids problems. Been there done that. When mine were small I don't think I would have wanted to look through lots of threads re teenagers to get to the kids ones either.

[FogCutter]

Please keep a separate teen section (you could consider merging it with pre- teens), there are a lot of us with older kids who don't want to have to trawl through threads of potty training and weaning!

Teen parenting is very different to parenting babies and toddlers!

[Llareggub]

I've been here since I was pregnant with my son, who is nearly 13. I have been lurking on the teenager board for a while now. Please don't take away somewhere useful. Like others the problems I have with my son are very different and I really don't want to look at a load of baby and toddler problems in order to find a specific thread.

[ThatPairOfCats]

Keep it separate please. We don't want to scare the posters with younger children.

[Freddiemercurysjeans]

Please keep teenagers separate. Totally different parenting issues.

[Mrsjayy]

You can't lump teenagers as general parenting a 5year old friends fall out is nothing like a 15 year old friend fall out I think that is unfair that parents will be put off posting because they fear the post will get lost. I used another site when I had teenagers they had miniscule support and that is what will happen if you "merge".

[Madhairday]

This is a crazy idea @MichaelMumsnet - one of the things I love about MN is the segregated parenting boards. On most other sites you can't come and talk specifically about teenagers, it's as if you stop parenting when they leave primary school, but MN has always been a haven and supporter of all parents. We really need.this section, parenting teens is a huge job and can be so emotionally wearing. Merging it into parenting will just water it down until it disappears because none of us want to trawl through posts about toddler tantrums and blw, and I shouldn't think parents of tiny ones want to see posts about great strapping rebellious teenagers, either.

Please rethink and keep the teenagers board so parents of teens have somewhere to go and rant and cry and get great advice.

[StickOfRhubarb]

The more I think about this the more it's irritating me. I wouldn't want to post on 'parenting' about my teenagers as it's pretty much guaranteed that you are going to get lots of replies from people who don't have teenagers (or the I was a teen in 1995 brigade) so you are just going to feel worse afterwards.

Like how people who don't work in schools post in Staffroom to tell you they used to be at school so can advise you on that. So I wouldn't post at all.