h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Oh this one is really easy - how to deal with teenagers. I only really have experience of male ones, but my one lives in a completely different time warp from me, I never see him.....and if I do ever see him standing up he only says UUURGGH! so whats the problem?
While he's sleeping he's not eating, so thats around 16 hours per day sorted.The rest is OK too, he's got a computer, so thats another quiet pastime.I dont think he has the energy to be a problem(bless him!)Of course, thing s could change.............

Well, it's a different thing altogether when dealing with teenage girls. I grew up with a sister just 13 months older than me (yea, I know what you're thinking, that I was probably a mistake. Well, I thought about it too and asked my mother, and apparently I am) and I saw it all. Liking boys, hating boys, spontanious spurs of vegetarianism, generally thinking she is too fat, rebelling against school, getting jobs and loosing them, spending tremendous amounts of money on clothes she only wears once, daily furniture re-arrangements (which of course, require me actually moving the furniture), always wanting to live somewhere else, falling in love with a different celebrity every week, picking on me for fun or as a time killer, embarrassing me infront of my friends, her friends, or anybody who just happened to be there at the moment, hourly mood swings, and consistently not making any sense at all at any subject.
I can't tell you how to handle these as an adult or a parent, but as the little brother, I tried the nice approach which failed much like the attempt of my scrotum to accommodate the same space and time as my sister's knee. Hitting back was no good either. There is no use seeking help with your parents because they are completely teriffied of the teenage monster. Basiclly what I did was to try and keep a low profile until I got larger than her, by then she stopped recognizing my existence altogether.
For some strange reason, today we get along just fine. Well, maybe you can chalk it up to me still getting bigger and her staying the same size...

At this moment in time I am only prepared to give my professional approach to dealing with teenagers. My profession brings me into contact with teenager every working day and I find that a smile and a non confrontational approach works nearly every time regardless of the initial attitude of the individual. (this does not work at home)

dealing with teenagers is easy (I know I am 18 but I also wwork with younger Teenages up to 16) and to put it simplaly be blunt. and if you tell them you will do sasomthing make shure you do, M dad told me at one point that If I did not have money for a taxi phone him before 1am or I could walk (about 10 miles from town to my house) I rang him at 1:15am and he made me walk. now I seem to save cash for a taxi. the point is with any difacult child noeve make threats you wont keep, never attempt to patronise them unless you are shure you will get away with it or it will make tem worse.
but for the best results make them mature from a young age, I ges I was in a bit of a spechal sercumstance bu I was cooking for myself at the age of 8 I was doing my own irnoing and washing to. what ever you do try to get some maturity in to them at a young age and yes they will go through a difficul pach when their hprmones go haywer (for about 2-3 months) but when tat carlms down they will be allot better for it trust me