Raising Teenagers

What happens to a child when they turn 18? They seem to think they automatically become adults and no longer need their parents. They no longer have to show us respect and they can do and say as they please. I understand they are growing up and want to go on their own, but that doesn’t give them the right to think they can just walk on their parents and their parents should still do as they ask. One thing they seem to forget is once you are 18 and graduated from high school we are longer responsible to support them or take care of them especially when they fail to respect us as their parents. We are no longer obligated to put up with their bullshit. I don’t put up with someone on the street threatening to hit me, yelling at me or even swearing at me. Therefore, what makes them think we have to put up with from our grown children? In actuality, she did get special treatment because if someone off the street talked to me like that I probably would have popped him or her in the face.

So many children today just do not understand they are the child and you are the parent, they live in your home and you support them, not vice versa. The only thing I really require from my children is to show respect for other people. I try to help them understand, you should treat others how you would like to be treated. If you do not want someone to scream and yell at you then don’t scream and yell at them. However, when you are yelling at someone they are automatically going to become defensive. It’s a natural response. Children should not scream at their parents, try to tell their parents what to do or criticize their parents. However, if we are yelling at our children, we are bad parents. Doesn’t that make them bad children or are they exempt from following the rules of society?

Someday when they are grown and raising their own children and their child is standing there yelling at them and saying inappropriate things to them they will understand what you were trying to tell them and possibly feel sorry for the way they acted as a teenager. God help me, but raising a teenager has to be one of the toughest jobs I have ever had.