The Pros And Cons Of Raising Teenagers

Yes. Believe it or not, there are several advantages to parenting teens. Let's see if I can pull my brain together enough to get a few down here.

The positive list is first. The negative/educational list is later.

1. Teens are addicted to computers. If you own several computers the teens will leave you alone until the cows come home. That means they forget about food and phone calls and television. You can watch what you like, eat whatever you want and even talk on the phone without being bothered.

2. Teens sleep in, every day. This means you can sleep in as well, assuming you don't have a job to go to or a class... The house is very quiet when the teens are sleeping, nice and silent.

3. Teens will always eat pizza. If you forget to make dinner, pizza is only a phone call away.

4. Teens leave their dirty clothes on the floor. If you have a dirty carpet~NO ONE will ever know. They cannot see the carpet through the clothes.

5. Teens like to stay up late. You will never feel lonely again at 2am. Your teen will be awake with you.

6. Teens love to eat late at night. Here's your excuse for a midnight snack. "Oh hi honey, I was just making the kids some food." (He/she'll never know you planned on eating as well.)

7. Teens are messy everywhere~this means you can blame them even if you made the mess. This is very handy if you have a spouse who's anal-retentive.

8. Teens NEVER fill the gas tank. Something else you can blame on them. "Sweetie, I just filled it. Fido must have used the car and all the fuel I put in it."

9. Teens forget to turn off lights. You'll never come home to a dark house while you have teens.

10. Teens eat lots. When they are old enough to drive, they are old enough to do the grocery shopping for you. This is very advantageous for those of us who detest grocery shopping.

For all of you who have younger children or no children, let's talk about teens. Don't be scared...well, really smart parents are scared. Teenagers are frickin' scary!

Janice's not-so-well-known facts about teenagers.

1. Teens are full of drama and angst and over-reaction. Full of it. When BBB was 13/14 all I had to do is glance his way to elicit this angry response: "What? WHAT? Why are looking at me thatway?" Dang boy I was flipping my hair off my face. I did not even mean to look his way. YIKES. The really fun days were when he got home from junior high, slammed the front door shut and stomped right on past me. The best way to react: IGNORE their presence until they seem calmer.

2. Just when you you get a grip on how to handle new and exciting behaviors, they change. Get to used to it. At 19 BPB still does this. Life with a teen is rarely if ever predictable.

3. Be prepared to have your teen ignore you and if anyone they know is close by they will pretend that have never seen you before. DO NOT embarrass your child by saying Hello to anyone. Pretend to be invisible!(I, personally, love messing with my teens' minds, so I would always introduce myself to anyone that was even close by.)

4. (AHEM)If male teens spend extra time in the bathroom do not knock on the door and scream, "What is taking you so long in there??". Trust me on this one.

5. Teens love to think they are independent. They will want you to drive them to and fro, here and there, up and downtown and everywhere but they will want you to let them go out of the car without a kiss goodbye, without you sticking your head out the window and screaming: "Hey my honeybabysugar! I love you!!!" This will cause your teen to turn beet red and flee from sight rapidly, maybe never to return. ( No suck luck. They always come home~they know where the money and food are.)

6. Teens sleep ALOT! Particularly boys between the ages 13-17. My BBB took naps last summer because he was so tired from growing. They will grow! One day you need to look down to meet their eyes. The next day they are looking down at you. It's disconcerting.

7. Teens eat 24 hours, 7 days a week. Not kidding! Get ready to serve up seconds and thirds and fourths. Also try to have snacks on hand at all times. Teens are hungry at 12 noon and 12 midnight. Just stock up! My food bill is 4 times what it was when the boys were younger.

8. Teens lie. If they get caught red-handed they will deny, deny, deny. Dr. Phil says, "How do you know if your teens are lying to you? Their lips are moving."I find this to be true in older teens the most.

9. BIG WARNING HERE: Expect your teen to go from acting like a 14yo to a 2yo in 30 seconds or less. No warnings. Temper tantrums, inability to make decisions, crying for no reason, slamming doors and stomping their feet.I think that is enough for now. You are most likely thinking it might be a good idea to sell your 10yos on the black market.....don't even dream about it. Teens always get returned to owner.

Comments

[Kalynne Pudner]

I love this title, implying there's a decision being weighed here.

[Di]

I was so excited when I saw the title of this post! A pro/con list. I was hopeful that at the end you would tell us that if the cons outweigh the pros, we can opt out!!!

[Pam]

Glad I found this blog! LOL I also write about life with teens! It is some kinda fun huh!

[the planet of janet]

have you been peeking in the window of my house?

fortunately i have already survived 3 teenage boys, so i know it can be done. although this ISN"T really helping with the drama of a teenage girl. did i really sign on for this??????

[suburbancorrespondent]

Good lists. Thanks for reminding me to accentuate the positive - such as it is...

[daisy]

Lately due to Amigo's illness, pizza has not been an option. Sniff. Sob. But the sleep in part? I had 3/4 of the laundry done Saturday before he even woke up, much less needed a shower. W00T!

[Penelope]

Ha! Bloody brilliant and sooooooo true!

[Lynn K.]

I pity the ones with small children...oh, what they have to look forward to! Oh wait....if we had to do, they have to too!

[jean]

I loved this post. I couldn't wait for my son to get older and now that he is 12yo, I want my baby back. Changing diapers just seems easier then the current mood swings.

[Devilish Southern Belle]

So very true, on all counts!

I can't believe how our grocery bill has tripled - at least- since my kids became teens.

[quilt crazy]

All so true, and then all too soon they are gone...first night of an empty nest, as my son has gone away for a summer job...enjoying the peace and clean house...but missing him already. Enjoy them while they are there, as it goes way too fast!

[Ilona]

That sleeping thing? Did you know that in infancy the human body releases a growth hormone during sleep? I wonder if we're still doing it during adolescence? Which means that all that sleep is *causing* the growth.

I remember being 14. I hated it. I was miserable all the time, my mother was THE most mortifying woman on the planet, and everyone was laughing at me behind my back. Everyone. All the time.

I would not be 14 again for the world. I am empathetic, but it doesn't make it any easier to live with one!

[momto4kidsny]

Found you via the Buzz. So this is what I get to look forward to. Yikes! Though I'm looking forward to being able to finally get some real sleep!

[JaniceNW]

Ilona~human growth hormone or HGH is released during sleep. Even adults still heve very small amounts released when sleeping. HUGE amounts are released in teens.

Thanks to everyone who came by and left a comment. :) I'be been down with a sinus infection which is why I haven't commented earloer. :)

[Becky]

Thanks for the great pros/cons list- I can absolutely relate. I have a 12 year old daughter and I agree that raising a teenager can be complicated. There is a great site that I found that offers a lot of helps to parents who need a little help in raising teens. For those of you who are interested the website is www.loveandlogic.com. There are a lot of different books on their website which focus many different pertaining issues.