Let’s talk about teenagers shall we! Here is what I have learned so far in living with three teenagers. If you’re reading this blog then I assume you have some teenagers of your own. If you don’t, get ready to learn a little bit about them! Teenagers are without a doubt a strange group of people. From ages thirteen to nineteen they are these people that live in your house that sometimes drive parents crazy. Sometimes love parents. Sometimes obey parents. Sometimes help parents out. Sometimes, sometimes, sometimes. Do you get the point? I think most of the times these teenagers really do love their parents, they just don’t know how to show it, especially boys.

I mean seriously, sometimes from one minute to the next you have no idea as a parent what to expect. One minute they are as happy as can be the next minute they are either crying for no reason or they are as mad as can be, this would be the teen girls. And if looks could kill parents would be dead ten times over and then some.

I know there are differences between girls and boys at least physically speaking, but sometimes emotionally girls and boys are exactly the same. Well maybe not EXACTLY the same, close enough though. The hormone change that these teens go through can be unbearable at times. For the teenager as well as the parents. I know this from experience with my kids being the ages of thirteen to twenty-two. Okay so my oldest isn’t a teenager anymore (thank goodness), but it wasn’t all that long ago that she was going through the same struggles as my thirteen year old. I think maybe the only real difference is how she dealt with it compared to how my youngest is dealing with it. Along with my middle child who is nineteen. OH, by the way did I mention I have two girls and a boy? If not now you know! Aren’t you glad I told you (sarcasm).

ATTITUDE

The attitude of a teenager is something to behold. A parent can never tell from one day to another or from one minute to the next for that matter, how a teenager is going to react to something.

Is that teenager going to be happy, sad, angry or annoyed. Laugh at what their parents say or cry. Are they going to stomp off in a heat of rage or will they try to reason with their parents. It’s ALL one big guessing game.  A guessing game that isn’t any fun. Not by a long shot.

EMOTIONS

Teenagers both girls and boys have these emotions that they don’t know what to do with. I have experienced this first hand with my teens.

The problem with this is I’ve found I need to handle it differently with my girls then I do my son. For example when my son gets mad he stops talking to everyone and walks away from them. This can last for days. This is a very Italian way of handling these emotions. I should know since I’m a pro at the no talking to you until I’m good and ready. Hhhmmm, I wonder where he gets that from.

My girls handle their emotions differently. They will cry at the drop of a hat and have no clue why they are doing this. Although I think it’s safe to say my oldest daughter has grown out of that. My youngest, however, it’s only the beginning for her. There are times when she will look at me and tell me she wants to cry, but she has no clue why. I simply tell her it’s because she is thirteen and her emotions are going crazy. I also tell her not to worry because it’s normal.

HORMONES

Ah, those crazy, awful hormones that teens get. Those feelings that make teens not know if they are coming or going. That time when both boys and girls start going through the change from a kid to a teen. Where their voices start changing. For boys their voices usually get deeper.

This is also the time when boys need to start learning how to shave their faces. And girls their their legs and under arms. When it comes to these hormones the girl teen has more to deal with. 

Let me tell you when you combine these hormones with emotions look out because that teenager is ready to kill everyone and anyone who gets in their sight. All of a sudden mom and dad become the enemy who has no clue what the teen is going through. But I always tell my teens “news flash been there done that!”  I usually get the look after that. You know that if looks could kill, look.

Kathleen Smith is an author and blogger. Among her books you can read  Miscarriages My Story and find out how she dealt with three miscarriages and kept her marriage strong at the same time.