Parents of teenagers – OY VEY!!

So, you had a baby!! Guess what – eventually they grow into these weird aliens full of hormones!

Remember that alien growing in your belly that kicked the shit out of you for a few months, woke you up every couple of hours, oh and let’s not forget vomited this curdly, white, smell substance all over your new shirt? Well, I’m here to tell you – that alien grows into an even bigger mutant alien – commonly referred to as a TEENAGER!!

They are so weird! We were never like that – or were we? I suppose every teenager is weird in their own right. Today’s teens have it easier than we did (those of us in our 50’s) – or do they? Being the parent of a teenager, there is a unity among we keepers of the mutants! What’s your secret(s) in dealing with the hormones? What are your biggest fears for them? Not every parental tactic is going to be the same with every kid – who wants to be the same parent, anyway? BUT – here are three of my most important tricks to use with the mutants:

• LISTEN to them – stop what you’re doing, look at them, and listen to what they have to say.
• ACCEPT them – your kid wants purple hair, your kid likes boys or likes girls, your kid wants to be a grocery store clerk when they grow up (yeah, that was me)….ACCEPT them just the way they are. “I brought you into this world, I can take you out” – no you can’t – that’s called murder, you go to jail for stuff like that. You made the conscious decision to give birth to the mutant, let them be themselves.
• LOVE them – “Nuff said about that…..just love them the way YOU wanted to be loved when you were a mutant.