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

... and suddenly our whole lives are just one huge screaming match about how mean I am and how unreasonable to expect people to load / unload the dishwasher and why do they have to get the bus and wait 20 minutes at the other end for blah blah blah

I am Sick. And. Tired. And. Fed. Up.

Really - There are things that I just can't be bothered to do either. Like earn the money...

My eldest boys are no better and I only see them at the weekends mainly...

Ah, teenage years! They really are the tear out your hair times.

My baby turns 18 next friday

They're learning to be adults, and that's a tough thing to learn.

J's determination and tenaciousness used to really frustrate me - but now she's got a summer job in telesales, where that is a huge strength, and I know that focus on getting what she wants will be such an asset in the world of work.

Deep breaths, calm thoughts, and be creative on communication.

Big hugs

<<... and suddenly our whole lives are just one huge screaming match about how mean I am and how unreasonable to expect people to load / unload the dishwasher and why do they have to get the bus and wait 20 minutes at the other end for blah blah blah>>

My mother was a baby-making machine. There's five of us 'solids' - by Dad. After us, she produced another three (by Him), then lost two at birth, and miscarried another. I think that makes 11 pregnancies in total.

I have never met the 'six' nor am I likely too, but my old man kept the 'solids' together by imposing a 'regime' at tea-time.

So, number-one pulled the leaves out. The second laid the table-cloth. The third laid the knives, the fourth the forks and the fifth the spoons. And when all was done, it all came back in to the kitchen in reverse-order.

We 'hated' it - and complained so, vociferously...

Could you remind the gruesome-two that life is now harder than it used to be, lest they should think we all had it easy?

Teenage years are there to make you love your offspring so much more when they become adults

*worried that it doesn't actually sound like this ever gets any better*

The words "two teenagers" alone were enough to make me break out in a cold sweat. I'm so glad I don't have that to look forward to.

All those hormones and attitudes in one place.

Have a and some .

It amazes me that the smallest thing can set the Teenacher off. Something innocent such as asking a question is apparently an accusation.

And I feel sorry for my mum...

It will get better, Sho.

I hear ya, I have the same arguments day in day out

re 8:

"And I feel sorry for my mum..."

Well said, Mina

oh blimey, yes. I feel terrible for what I put my parents through. Although it was only 12 weeks or so of the year because I was away at school for the rest.

There's other stuff going on that doesn't help but

seems a good idea.

And sorry, Kelli. I'm sure it will be different for you - you have boys...

Mine's a boy! But he does have communication difficulties which probably doesn't help.

Kelli, there's a period, say between ages 9&12 which seemed quite reasonable...

One of mine went into that phase when she was 9 and came out of it at about 15. She's fine now at 20.

The other started early and is still going strong at 16 - no doubt she'll calm down eventually.

I have both boys and a girl. Never had any trouble worth mentioning with either - as far as I remember now

Now that I think about it I believe I had less trouble with the girl while their mother had less trouble with the boys. Normal, yes?

Mind you, living 69 kilometres away from them from when they were 10, 13 and 16 may have helped a bit

Gosh, It's already 13 years ago now

You can't just lease them out for a few years to some street-merchant or something? Call 'em back once they've got most of it out of their system? Nawwwww, didn't work for my 'baby' either.

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind...

Or 42...

Or something like that.

and I'm sure that they're lovely underneath. If all else fails, paint a murial in their bedrooms.

RF

What I am having a really really hard time with is the never ever wanting to spend any time with us and when she does she doesn't ever actually want to do anything with us... and we're so boring and just want to make her life miserable...
I had to fight tooth and nail, a real problem for me it was, to get my summer holiday and now... I wish I'd stayed at work.

Mind you #1 is being very lovely. But she's happy right now because she is, in FB speak "in a relationship"

And there is a good reason to not 'friend' the kids of friends. The "in a relationship", out of ... they can flodd a page in a day.

"flodd" ... ???

purview is our fiend, perviewy is our fondue, ... say it often enogh and it might stick