Groups > Parents of Teens!

Exactly! I've been doing better on the enforcing front lately and it's paying off. Plus I realized that I say it a lot (jokingly) so no wonder!

I have a 12 year old daughter, And will not and have not put up with her telling grandma or any adult to shutup joke or no joke. You need to let her know that it is not right and its not allowed. Take something away from her if she dose not stop, and most of all before bed give a lot of hugs and remind her how much her grandma loves her and how that hurts grandma feelings.......kids act out for a reason - We need to react back it is our job!!!! Heart to heart talks kids love them.

Raising children has been the most joy an the most pain I have ever endured! I agree nip it now cuz it only gets worse!I have learned in life that I teach people how to treat me If I say shut up (even playing) they say think its ok. Picking & choosing my battles is important with teens but a smart mouth is not a battle I choose not to lose. Beating my child has never been an option although no fun time is a good way to hit them where it hurts the most. Good Luck! the next few years could be tough but they will respect you more later for setting healthy boundaries now!!!!

I agree with others that boundaries should be set. I used to tell my daughter that she should be careful, particularly in front of her friends, because if she pushed me to far, I would embarrass her. One day she did, and I shut her down (spoke sternly to her in front of them). Knowing that I would follow through on this threat did make a difference. Overall, I think I remember doing this twice.

Sometimes, a lighter touch should be taken. At that preteen and early teen age, she was embarrassed by everything I said (particularly if I was joking). Fortunately, I remembered feeling the same way about my mother. When she and all her friends were in the car I asked each if they were embarrassed by their mothers. Each one said, "Yeah." Then I asked if they thought their friend's mother was embarrassing, and they said, "No." It was no big deal, but they all saw the humor in this -- and my daughter wasn't too embarrassed.

She's 19 now and called me the other night to say, "Thank you for being my mother." She was frustrated with a college roommate who couldn't talk to her mother about something that was bothering her. This caused her to appreciate that she could talk openly to me.

This is one of the compensating joys you've heard about.

My daughters show quite a bit of respect...my oldest 'did' one day step out of line when she was 14...I took her makeup away and sent her off to school...never heard a peep out of afterwards ; )