Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Teenagers

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

What's the biggest thing you've been struggling with?

28 replies

teenagersuntangled · 11/11/2024 11:27

I'll start. I was taking my daughter to school really early this morning, and I noticed that she'd packed clothes in her bag by simply stuffing them in, completely crumpled. I pulled them all out, smoothed them and folded them neatly, but couldn't help 'getting' at her about it in the car. I called her lazy, when I know that FMRI scans say that when we nag and tell our teens what we don't like their emotional brain fires up whilst their pre-frontal cortext (thinking/planning part) shuts down. Thankfully, it was a long journey and I managed to talk a bit more to her and apologise for using the L word, asking her more about why she took that decision and explaining why I feel like it isn't the easiest route and she needs to practice skills that will set her up for life.

I guess I'm trying to say that even with all the knowledge in the world we can find it really hard to keep calm and say the right things, but that we can always go back in by apologising and explaining so the both sides feel heard. It's tough.

OP posts:
RainyDayCoffee · 11/11/2024 17:12

I am one who says the wrong things but I do swiftly apologise.
Hardest thing for me is to be calm and have hope for the future.
Sometimes I worry so much for DDs future that i can be a negative Nancy and I know this can come across badly in my interactions with her.
One day at a time...it will all fall in place.
Xx

OkPedro · 11/11/2024 17:21

My daughters (16) messy room and general no regard for our home.
The final straw was today when I took clothes out of the washing machine she had left a sanitary towel, tissues and a pen in her pockets 😭 it wasn't my finest moment I lost it with her through text. I've told her she can choose to live in mess but I won't be washing her clothes anymore!
I know I'm overreacting but I'm so fed up of it

teenagersuntangled · 11/11/2024 21:39

Oh, staying calm with teenagers is a real struggle. I do think we need to give ourselves grace, and be able to apologise for any moments when we lose it. Being self-analytical helps our teens, and my teens say that they love the fact I'm not perfect because it makes them feel less anxious about their own failings.

OP posts:
teenagersuntangled · 11/11/2024 21:45

@OkPedro I totally understand your frustration, and it's easy to say keep your calm, let it go, but we're humans... it's so hard.

I've found that my (16DD) really struggles with executive functioning. Generally organising things, and prioritising what she does, doesn't come easily. I think the messy bedroom is a classic of these kids.

I recently asked her 'How do you feel when you walk into your room and it's completely clean and tidy.' She said, 'I hate it. It doesn't feel cosy or like it's my place.' That was a real wake-up for me.

There are, however, things that I will insist on. I think we have to pick off the skills one by one. After we had a long chat about the stuffing clothes in a bag, she agreed that it wasn't a good approach and wouldn't help her long term. We've agreed that she'll focus on folding her clothes for a month and we'll see how long it takes for the habit to form.

I guess slowly, slowly is the only approach, but it's definitely tough to cope with the pen in the washing!

OP posts:
OkPedro · 11/11/2024 22:52

teenagersuntangled · 11/11/2024 21:45

@OkPedro I totally understand your frustration, and it's easy to say keep your calm, let it go, but we're humans... it's so hard.

I've found that my (16DD) really struggles with executive functioning. Generally organising things, and prioritising what she does, doesn't come easily. I think the messy bedroom is a classic of these kids.

I recently asked her 'How do you feel when you walk into your room and it's completely clean and tidy.' She said, 'I hate it. It doesn't feel cosy or like it's my place.' That was a real wake-up for me.

There are, however, things that I will insist on. I think we have to pick off the skills one by one. After we had a long chat about the stuffing clothes in a bag, she agreed that it wasn't a good approach and wouldn't help her long term. We've agreed that she'll focus on folding her clothes for a month and we'll see how long it takes for the habit to form.

I guess slowly, slowly is the only approach, but it's definitely tough to cope with the pen in the washing!

That is a great strategy. When I've asked my daughter how she can stand the mess and does it not bother her she says she hardly notices it!
We're going to sit down after school tomorrow and try come to a compromise

labamba007 · 12/11/2024 05:30

To be honest I'd hate being called lazy and find the 'why did you take that route' conversation patronising.

My mum would often pick her battles when I was a teen. If I'd have stuffed clothes into my bag and then complained about them being creased she'd say 'yep that's what you get when you stuff them in your bag'. It's far easier sometimes to let them make their own mistakes.

Zanatdy · 12/11/2024 05:55

Well I wouldn’t be bothering to iron her clothes if she was just stuffing them in the bag, but its her who will be wearing creased clothes so i’d just let it go

AchillesAndPatroclus · 12/11/2024 09:14

The “biggest” thing I’m struggling with is all the little things, to be honest, and it’d be good to have some perspective on how normal this is as she’s my first teen.

Things I still have to do for my DD13:

-Wake her up as she sleeps through her alarm everyday and needs several shouts to get out of bed.
-Remind her to brush her teeth and wash her face or it doesn’t get done. Her skin is starting to look quite bad and it’s really hard not to comment when she literally won’t ever wash her face. She even dodges washing it in the shower as she doesn’t like water on her face. I’ve bought soft flannels, headbands, towel wrist bands etc to make it more pleasant but to no avail.
-brush her hair as she can’t seem to do it and doesn’t even care if it gets done or not.
-charge her school laptop and fill water bottle
-make her breakfast
-pack her bag and remember any extras
-make her bed, put laundry in utility, put literally everything away as it just gets thrown on the floor of her room, take down crockery, snack packets as they just litter the floor. She never puts away or throws away anything, ever. Not even exaggerating. Never. It sits where she discards it.
-she will never take plates back from the dinner table to the kitchen. I have to call her back and remind her every single meal, every single day.
-close all the drawers and cupboards that she opens 🤷‍♀️
-her first thought it always to ask me to get her drinks and snack, never to walk into the kitchen herself (I don’t always do it, but she always asks)
-buy multiple blazers, headphones and water bottles as they get left everywhere and despite being labelled, never make it back. I said enough now, she has to look after them or go without but school took pity on her and found some unclaimed lost property for her and now I feel like an awful parent!
-I have to have her phone on complete parental control or she rots away online. I’ve tried giving her more freedom but she always goes off the rails.
-remind her to shower and what she needs to be doing in the shower. She’d go weeks without one otherwise or just stand under the water getting wet. I can tell as a bottle of shampoo/gel lasts about 8 months.
-remind to put on deodorant. I bought her two roll-ons two years ago for bedroom/bag and bathroom and ones half full, ones untouched.
-remind every night that it’s time for bed. She will never get ready of her own accord, despite hating being so tired in the morning.

I am so exhausted with having to manage every iota of her daily routine. And also hear about her friends, who will get themselves up and ready, help around the house, re-organise and decorate their room and have their own hygiene routine that they actually want to do to look nice.

The one thing I never have to remind her to do is her homework, and she always gets great marks, and I am very grateful for that.

Comedycook · 12/11/2024 09:15

Crumpled clothes?! Pick your battles op..!

ouch44 · 12/11/2024 09:23

Yes crumpled clothes wouldn't even register round here.

I am struggling with DD excessive use of her phone and first boyfriend. She wants to do a competitive course at Uni and am worried about the impact of both on her achieving that. Never mind that I really wasn't ready for her to have a boyfriend just yet!

teenagersuntangled · 12/11/2024 10:08

Yes, I agree @labamba007 Calling her lazy wasn't my finest hour for sure. I think my point is that even thought I'm normally very even-tempered, and we have a fantastic relationship, I still say stupid things and get it wrong because I'm human/tired/stressed etc.

She does like me asking what she was thinking, but it's the way in which we ask the question that really matters. I've learned that it's important to always be curious. Always seek to understand rather than control. I like to know why she thinks the way she does so that I can better understand her and also better help her.

It's also helped me to understand that there are fundamental things that she, and other ND kids, need to learn explicitly because they don't pick them up from cues or from watching us parents. It's been an absolute revelation for me and has made me much more willing to talk through why some things matter. I have four kids and I've noticed this in two of them; really curious things that they simply never understood until I was willing to explicitly explain, and coach them.

When I explained the issue of crumpled clothes to her she had never really thought about the way others might view her, and how some of the social things she misses might actually lead to people treating her differently without her even knowing why. This is what's fascinating about it.

She's told me that the fact I'm willing to apologise when I get things wrong, and engage in an honest and open conversation with her about what she thinks, honouring her thoughts, means that she's willing to talk about anything with me. All my kids have said that experiencing a parent who isn't 'perfect' or claiming to be that way actually helps them feel stronger because they know that their failings are normal and they can see how to mend a relationship after things go wrong.

OP posts:
Hoppinggreen · 12/11/2024 10:12

The hardest thing for me with DD was the lack of resilience, I was brought up to just get on with things (probably too harshly now I look back on it) and I hate sitting around complaining and "I can't" rather than thinking how you can.
With DS I can't think of anything really BUT DH struggled with how to relate to a man vs a boy - with me it was easier as I can still see my baby within but DH wasn't sure how to relate to a large 15 year old who was as large as him and who was growing a beard. They have worked it out now though

teenagersuntangled · 12/11/2024 10:39

@AchillesAndPatroclus Oof, I can imagine this is exhausting, frustrating, and underneath it all is the worry about how our kids can manage their lives if they need that much hand-holding.

Does your daughter have any ND issues? I only ask, because executive function delays are part of that territory, but the it doesn't mean that she is ND, if you see what I mean.

You've made a fantastic list of all the things that need to be done, some of which are important, some of which are less so. Eg, brushing her teeth really matters so reinforcement if she's not doing it is vital, not closing cupboard doors is a massive irritation.

You're obviously a fantastic parent, who really cares. She's 13, so it's important to keep in perspective that there are a lot of really complicated changes going on in her life which make it hard for her, but that doesn't mean we should simply have no expectations.

For perspective, her need to study for the sake of exams will be drummed in to her at school, her social relationships will be a priority for her and they can often be fraught at this age. There's a terrific book (I warn you, it's a doorstep) by David Yeager, the eminent psychologist, called 10-25: The science of Motivating Young People. In it he talks about our mindset, and how the predominant mindset now is that of neuro-biological incompetence ie they're teens and they're not capable. There are two boys who wrote the book Do Hard Things, who complain about how the very most expected of teens these days is closer to the very least.

Yeager explains that at puberty become focused on status and approval amongst their peer group, not what we say.

He explains that our mindset causes us to either be an Enforcer, ie we tell our kids they must do things, but don't give them the suppor needed in order to complete the tasks, or the Protector ie we don't think they can manage so we protect them from the 'hard things' and expect very little of them. I think I have been guilty of both at times.

What we need to do is develop the Mentor mindset, which involves high expectations, and high support. So, in your case I would take your list and turn it into a chart. I would then choose only the vital things to discuss with my daughter. I would then have a chat with her that would involve getting to understand what really matters to her. What does she think motivates her? What's important in her world? Don't judge, just ask and say 'oh I can see how that would be important.' I suspect that her obsession with her phone is entirely to do with trying to figure out what her peers consider to be respect-worthy. My daughter talked about this in my podcast episode on body image; the problem is that they're not looking at girls their age, they're trying to copy people in their twenties!

I would then say 'I'm so sorry, I think that my love for you has inadvertently made you learn dependence. I think you're better than that and want to support you in becoming a complete person, who feels proud of their abilities. Show her the list and talk through what she thinks of the tasks and why she thinks they're not important. You may well find that she simply isn't prioritising them because they feel less important than the vital job of figuring out how to be popular and have status amongst her peers.

Focus on the skills that really matter, talk through what expectations you have and explain the consequences of not doing the things. I have an episode on setting consequences which could help. One important thing is don't connect getting time on her phone with doing any of the things you expect of her.

Explain that you will also be gently withdrawing your help in the other areas, not because you don't love her, but because you know it's important for her to begin doing more things for herself. I have found that I need to let things go a lot at home, and focus on praising my kids for any things they do attempt. We want to give them a North Star to look at, and help them believe in their own abilites.

Since starting working in this way I have found that my daughters are so much more open to discussing things, and learning skills. I talk about our home as a team. All of us has to be doing things in order for the team to work, so I started with dinner time and told everyone I have had to plan the meal, shop, cook... what would you like to do for the team? One of mine is a keen sous chef, another prefers to cook alone for us once a week, and to lay the table and clear away on other days. My husband is a dab hand at the washing up stage.

The team work mantra can really play into their need to feel part of something, and respected, rather than a child.

I hope this has been helpful. It's tough making that gear change from child to young adult.

OP posts:
teenagersuntangled · 12/11/2024 10:45

@Hoppinggreen Oh my goodness, I completely understand where you're coming from! I had to be resilient, which can make it really hard to adjust to a different way of parenting. We only have our own experience to work from, so it can be very tricky to find the sweet spot.

I always said to my kids, 'Don't bring me problems, bring me solutions,' but that's not teaching them to reach out and problem-solve with others. As they've grown, I've developed some excellent techniques for listening to their issues, being non-judgemental about them, and helping them work through what solutions they can find.

I've told them that I can't fix their problems but I can listen and help them by talking through the issues and looking for their own solutions.

OP posts:
TickingAlongNicely · 12/11/2024 10:56

My struggle is my guilt over how there's two of them, one of me and itvalways seems to be DD1 that misses out on time. Its her school musical soon for example... not only will she only have people in the audience one night, not every night, one evening she will then have to come home to an empty house as I'm picking up DD2 from the othervside of town. I'm out all day at her sisters rugby tournament one weekend. Or the evening they both have an activity... shes the one walking home a mile in the dark, again to an empty house I hate it, but I can't be in two places at once.

And then DD2... shes a tornado. She can't keep anything tidy or organised.

Waitingfordoggo · 12/11/2024 11:06

I’m another one who for whom crumpled clothes wouldn’t even be on my radar! Don’t sweat the small stuff. Most teens get an awful lot ‘wrong’, so if you’re going to pick up on all of their mistakes, you’ll end up nagging daily and creating a miserable time for both of you. I have to pick my battles and bite my tongue a lot. I wouldn’t tolerate rudeness, unkindness or reckless behaviour, but messy rooms and poor organisation are really small issues to me, especially as one of my teens has ADHD so has a very hard time with organisation. One of my DCs had an eating disorder as a younger teen and the other has had anxiety and panic attacks. So when they’re both mentally well, I’m pretty happy. They are both lazier than I would like them to be, but I was also pretty lazy at their ages, plus I think they got quite used to being lazy during lockdowns. I do nag them now and again about mess in the house etc, but I try to keep it positive/inject humour, and keep the nagging to a minimum. If they don’t mind squalor in their bedrooms, that’s their lookout 🤷🏼‍♀️

teenagersuntangled · 12/11/2024 12:13

Love this, @Waitingfordoggo I agree. I genuinely don't nag most of the time, my point is that we all find it hard and we can all make stupid mistakes when parenting. The most important thing is how we fix it when we get it wrong.

My daughters tell me that the fact I'm prepared to admit when I've made a mistake, apologise, and try again makes them feel both safe and also more comfortable with their own failings. It's awful to be surrounded by people who seem perfect when you're a teenager whose screwing up all of the time.

The ND child (I have two) definitely needs a more careful, focused approach. I've found that they often don't notice things that others would, and as a result they don't learn from others the way they might. As a result, I've learnt to be far more curious about their thinking and really listen to them to understand how they see things. That way I can give them a different viewpoint that they wouldn't pick up on. Once they can see the other perspective they can decide whether that skill matters to them.

As an example, I had to explain to my mid-20 year old bonus daughter how to stack a dishwasher, and how to read a map, in careful detail. These are skills that many kids simply pick up by practise and watching others. If we're not aware of the skills-gap we can't really help them. This is the high expectation/high support approach that David Yeager talks about.

I mess up all the time, but my kids like that I have higher expectations of them because it shows that I genuinely think they are capable and that fills them with self-worth. I used to get this very wrong.

OP posts:
teenagersuntangled · 12/11/2024 12:22

@TickingAlongNicely Oh, that's so tough on both you and your daughter. There are honestly some things we can change, and some we can't. Firstly, it sounds like you're an amazing mum doing a really great job juggling a difficult situation. Secondly, is there nobody else in the community who you can share pick-ups etc with?

I researched and created an episode for my podcast about 'older daughter syndrome' in which I looked at the issue of how older daughters end up carrying so much of the responsiblity. The truth is, they also gain skills from this, so don't beat yourself up about it. More importantly, what you want to avoid is parentification. That's when we rely too much on the eldest to fill the adult role before they should. Letting her know that you are aware of her situation, and wish it were different, but letting her know that she is also highly valued and loved can make a big difference.

Also letting her know that she can talk to you about any issues, and tell you if she thinks you might have tipped into parentification, will give her the chance to air her feelings. I really think honest discussion about the messiness of life, rather than the sense that everyone else is perfect and we aren't, is much better for our kids.

One other thing. Make sure you do something for you every day. One of my listeners pointed this out and she was so right. If everything we do is for our kids it's like forgetting to put on our own oxygen mask. Eventually, we'll have nothing else to give.

OP posts:
Waitingfordoggo · 12/11/2024 12:48

@teenagersuntangled, yes, I agree with you. I have had a lifelong battle with anxiety and this has made me overly critical at times (because when I can’t control how scary my thoughts are, my focus switches to small things that I can control) and when that happens, I’m always willing to apologise to my teens and admit that my anxiety is making me hyper-critical. I also recognise what you’re saying about trying to see things from their perspective. For my ADHD child, that comes easily because she and I are very alike and I suspect I have ADHD too, so I share with her strategies that I’ve used over the years to try and get my shit together. But I also want her to have the space to find her own strategies, because although we’re alike, no two brains are exactly the same and what works for me might not for her. Plus, when she is able to work through problems herself and find her own strategies, it’s great for her self-esteem and her feeling that she really knows herself.

Losingtheplot2016 · 15/11/2024 22:40

I’m struggling with my dd just not being as nice to me and others as I would like. There’s pretty much zero people pleasing in her at the moment. I’m the sort of person who wants to build relationships with others and she just isn’t like me in this respect. I feel really uncomfortable about it .

Noddy1969 · 17/11/2024 21:37

For me, my youngest having to jump between houses every week. I do all I can to make her comfortable at home here but I HATE the lifestyle that she's having to live with every single week. It's not fair. Would love her to be with me permanently, but unlikely her mum will make that easy.

teenagersuntangled · 19/11/2024 21:24

Oh, @Noddy1969 That's so hard. It's difficult for everyone, and constantly moving between two houses can be very stressful for a child. Does she say much about it? At least if she can express her feelings she'll feel less stressed about it. I guess it's easier if you can afford two of everything so she doesn't have to keep moving her life from one place to the next.

OP posts:
babyproblems · 19/11/2024 21:28

labamba007 · 12/11/2024 05:30

To be honest I'd hate being called lazy and find the 'why did you take that route' conversation patronising.

My mum would often pick her battles when I was a teen. If I'd have stuffed clothes into my bag and then complained about them being creased she'd say 'yep that's what you get when you stuff them in your bag'. It's far easier sometimes to let them make their own mistakes.

Agree entirely. She needs to feel the negative consequences herself which would be looking awful and being uncomfortable because she stuffed them in the bag. Her problem. You’re going to gain absolutely nothing from just telling her off about it! I think that was required about aged 5 tbh. I’d save my energy for drugs/alcohol/sex/crime. And maybe about exam preparation. Everything else they can just learn the hard way themselves surely!!

teenagersuntangled · 19/11/2024 21:28

@Losingtheplot2016 That sounds so painful, particularly if you are really clued up on the importance of relationships. I always think that teens aren't giving us a hard time, they're having a hard time. Whatever behaviour she is exhibiting, try not to see it as a reflection on you. Give her a chance to simply vent about how she's feeling, without trying to 'fix' her. I've found the most powerful thing I can do with my girls is be the person who lets them talk about what they're experiencing, try to sum it up so they can have the experience on the outside of them and can look at it from a distance, then ask if they want support or advice of any type. If they don't want it, then just give them a hug and say you will give it if and when they're ready, but right now you're just here to love her. There's so much for teens to navigate.

OP posts:
teenagersuntangled · 19/11/2024 21:36

Thanks @babyproblems actually, my point wasn't about trying to get her to do something, I know that nagging is counter productive because FMRI scans have actually showed that it switches off a teen pre-frontal cortex and activates their emotional brain. My point was that even when we know we shouldn't say something we sometimes can't help ourselves because we parents are human.

I use the acronym HALT ie don't say anything if you're Hungry, Angry, Late, or Tired. I was suffering most of that, but still found it hard. I apologised to her and we had a lovely chat about her reasoning in which I learned that she doesn't see any issue with crumpled clothes. It gave me the chance to explain that others might judge her, and make decisions about her based on them, and she'll never know what they're thinking because they won't tell her.

It was complete news to her, and a really good lesson for both of us because I realised that some kids simply don't learn 'the hard way'. Natural consequences are useless and bordering on cruel for some, becasue they don't pick up on social cues. She simply hadn't even considered how others might make snap decisions about her that she couldn't counter.

We both learnt a lot from that chat, and it changed my mind about the usefulness of natural consequences.

OP posts: