Parenting teens is not for the fainthearted. Those new parents stressing over how difficult it is to change your lifestyle to accommodate a baby – those parents of toddlers screaming in the supermarket – those parents who insist their child is ‘8 going on 18’: seriously – give me one of those any day. Being a parent of a teen is a whole different league.
The hormones, the need for constant eating, the difficult in getting up phase – and their inability to verbalise more than the odd grunt. And who knows what they get up to when they’re out of the house?!
Last night the teenager sauntered in at 11:30pm. To be fair he had answered his phone when I rang (several times) – and trust me, if your child is not yet a teenager, having them answer their phone when you ring is a big parenting achievement. I knew he was OK and I knew he’d be home when he said.
Trust is a big deal. ‘I’m OK mum – just out walking my friend’s dogs’; honestly, you don’t know what most of kids my age are getting up to – lines of cocaine, all sorts of drugs; I’m only walking the dog. Give me strength – when will this be over?
My 2020 Story 