If you remember the time when you were a teenager, you know it was also a time when you probably made the worst judgments and took the worst risks you could ever take.
It was time of challenges and powerful emotions and a period of doubt and confusion. Back then, the adults would just blame the hormones for everything you did. Everyone lived through these struggles.
Now, you see what was actually all about. Finally you understand what were you parents feeling and thinking when you were in your teenage years.
Being a mother of a teenage boy is exciting, to say the least. It can be rewarding, but there are some things that nobody tells you when it comes to parenting a teenager.
These are the truths you’ll learn by yourself when parenting a teenager.
1. Don’t expect him to open up to you. You’ll be grateful if you have a conversation in the car or while he helps you when you’re shopping for groceries.
2. There will be time when he will be dumped and you will feel angry about it. Of course, your anger will be directed towards the girl. But you will have to keep it to yourself.
3. Just as you helped your parents when they couldn’t handle something modern, you will constantly ask him for help with the TV/laptop/smartphone.
4. Don’t worry, the bad music, the “unique” hairstyle and the obsession about that girl are just temporary.
5. Mothers are never cool, but they’re always beloved, although it may not look like that.
6. You will be talking about his childhood like it was a long time ago, even though he is still a kid to you.
7. The fact that he is 15 doesn’t mean that he doesn’t enjoy his favorite ice-cream anymore. Or any other food for that matter.
8. You will feel relieved for not worrying about R-rated films like before.
9. Your hopes about becoming best friends with him will increase every day.
10. Don’t worry about him sleeping too much. Sleeping will become his main occupation.
11. Since sleeping is his only job besides school, he’ll often be bored.
12. You will see him trying to grow beard although you can count all of his facial hair.
13. Every month, you will wonder how could his data usage be so huge.
14. However, his favorite stories will still be the ones about his birth and the first steps he made.
15. You used to spend hours talking on the house phone, but not him. Are you sure he even knows how to use one?
16. He won’t admit it, but he sees you as his crying shoulder whenever he needs it.
17. He will try to act tough and independent, but actually, he needs you more than you think.
18. As every teenager today, he will accept a social media challenge and he will try to do a trick to impress the others (and get more likes).
19. In the morning, he will be angry without a reason and then he’ll be happy in the afternoon. Even he will not be able to explain why.
20. You will love him more and more every day.
21. He will watch cartoons, just as you do.
22. He will make stupid mistakes and you cannot prevent him from doing them.
23. He will show you his love and appreciation for you in unexpected ways.
24. He will want to be independent and isolated from you. He will stay in his room all day long.
25. He will spend more money than before.
26. He will be noisy in every possible way. It’s better to get used to his noises.
27. Even after spending the day outside, he will still come home to have the dinner you prepared.
28. He might still be your boy, but he is old enough to understand everything that’s going on.
29. Sometimes, you will be angry at the others for not treating him good enough.
30. He will have the appetite of a lion.
31. He will stay loyal to his closest ones no matter what.
32. You’ll wish to go back in time when he was just a crying baby.
33. After long discussions and lectures, his defense mechanism will only consist of “I don’t care”.
34. You’ll realize he is procrastinating a lot.
35. But every day, you’ll wake up knowing that you’re a parent of the greatest person you know. And you will be proud of him.
A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.