Not all teens are bad!

[twistyizzy]

Just hosted sleepover for 5 x 13 Yr old girls. All, without exception, were polite, chatty and lovely. Lots of laughter, hilarious banter and they support each other. Happy to sit and talk to me.
Teens get such a bad rap, and I'm fully aware that some give their parents a really rough time (I was one of those teens who was pretty wild and put my parents through hell) but not all are like that and some are amazing!
Just hope I'm not speaking too soon though 😆

My teen (DD15) is a joy. As a pre-teen however.... OMG I was at my wits end!

I think they all (or most) go through the "tricky time" at some point but once on the other side it's wonderful to see the adults they are becoming.

Speaking too soon OP!! 13/14 is the happy, easy, stress free age. When they get to GCSEs and A levels life gets far more complicated.

Ha yes I am willing to acknowledge I may be jumping the gun

Haha absolutely! The stress of exams and having to figure out their next steps in life, navigating relationships, pressures of drugs and alcohol, letting them go and giving them the freedom to be an adult and make their own mistakes. I think in general anywhere from 15-20 can be a tough age.

Totally agree
You'd be very lucky to not encounter one of these:
Relationship dramss/heartbreak/friendship dramas
Sex/unwanted attention/
Exam stress/disappointment
Some type of failure that feels really important to them
Anxiety/stress
Alcohol/getting drunk/experimenting with something stupid
Safety concerns
Pushing boundaries
Porn/sending stupid pics online/social media use
Parties/gigs/festival
attendance/late.nights/mixed sex sleepovers
My teens have all been brilliant young people but I have encountered a selection of these with all of them.
It's.not for the fainthearted

Ps I have 4 between 15 and 20 so right in the thick of it... exhausted most of the time lol

Not necessarily. Mine are older now and sailed through. Absolute delight at any age.

You mean they were never faced with any disappointment, heartbreak, fallout with a friend, grades below what they wanted, rejection from a job they really wanted/uni they really wanted/ sports tram thry wanted/ ever had anything happen to them at all? If so wow. I do believe these failures are an essential part of growing up and building resilience but thry do come with emotional roller coaster.

Of course those things happen but I can't say any of it caused me stress or difficulty. It's just part of life. Those things happen to everyone. They're not the type of kids to catastrophise over things - I'm pretty resilient, so are they. Everyone faces disappointment, but none of their experiences made them horrible to be around, probably strengthened our relationship in many ways as we talked and worked out solutions together. So yeah, of course there were disappointments but they did sail through their teens, and it was an absolute pleasure. Teen years were by far my favourite years of parenting.

We are saying the same thing, you donut!