How do you live with a teen-ager?

[tobikay]

OK girls, my DS is planning to become a teenager on January 15. I will tell you off the bat that his mommy is not ready for this and will do whatever in within my power to delay it.

What I have to deal with in the meantime is these stinking mood swings. Not mine, his!!! One moment he is a wonderful person, the next I am ready to call an exercist... Sometimes he acts so mature and responsible, the next he is whining like a 2 year old...

Here is our most recent example. We live close enough to his school for him to walk to and from (and quite honestly, he could use any exercise he can get), and typically he will walk home, occaisionally he will walk to, but if for whatever reason, I can give him a ride, I will. Well, this morning, DD was still asleep and I didn't have any reason to leave the house to justify waking her up, so, since I can't leave her here alone, when I woke DS up, I said, gotta get up hon, take a shower, you have to walk today because I can't take you (note, I have taken him every morning this week and picked him up a couple of times as well). He proceded to spend his morning pouting, not talking to anyone, slamming doors and generally being a pain in the rear. He farted around so long that in the end, he had just enough time to walk to school but not enough to stop and visit and walk with his friend, the one perk to walking...this just increased the .....attitude that was ooosing from his this morning.

Now, I will say that I recognize hormonal mood swings, lived through them every month (both from my mother and myself of course)..but I think that I may just start beating him (j/k of course, I think)..

I am looking for advice...do I just "ignore" the mood swings, do I speak to him (I do know that when I am in a "mood" speaking to me will only make it worse), do I send him to his room until he can come out and play nice? How have some of you other mommies lived through teenager hood?

Oh, by the way, my DD is 8 years younger than DS, so I figure that about the time we "finish" with him, DD will be starting up, and I am sure that this will be fun, she is already a princess who controls most of the adults in her life....so any advice on that front will be appreciated as well.

[Madre]

Sometimes a kid gets a bad case of the "orneries" in those early teen years. With a boy, he's learning to be a man, but going about it in a childish way.:wink: I know they all have their hormonal issues, but they still need to know that bad attitudes are not going to be allowed. When he was a baby he had to learn to get control and stop crying/whining and now he has to learn to get control when he doesn't like the way things are going. I'm not saying not to cut him some slack now and then, but I wouldn't allow him to sulk and generally make things difficult. Your dh may have to step in and help him over the hump.

[pioneerchristianmomof3]

I know they all have their hormonal issues, but they still need to know that bad attitudes are not going to be allowed. When he was a baby he had to learn to get control and stop crying/whining and now he has to learn to get control when he doesn't like the way things are going. I'm not saying not to cut him some slack now and then, but I wouldn't allow him to sulk and generally make things difficult.

I agree totally! He needs to learn to articulate in a respectful manner when he doesn't like the way things are going. A lot of people excuse bad behavior from teens as "normal" growing pains. In the adult world we don't get very far by pouting and being miserable. (unless it's our turn of course! :wink: )