Dealing with Teenagers

The funny thing about teenagers is that they're neither adults nor children. They're basically stuck in limbo. On one hand teenagers fight for more freedom, yet still need their parents' guidance. It's a tough time in their lives, but it's far harder on the parents.

I have three teenagers running around my house. My daughter, Shyan, is fifteen. Josh is thirteen and Daniel is twelve. I suppose twelve falls into the realm of 'almost teenager' but in terms of behaviour, it's pretty much the same.

I love them all. They're all unique in their own way; however, they all manage to drive me up the wall. Sometimes I want to tear my hair out or better yet, tear THEIRS out.

Actually, now that I think about it, that might be a neat thing for some parent to invent. Imagine something like a voodoo doll except with your kids face and hair. We'll call it a 'Teenagoo doll'. We can squeeze them, pull their hair out or throw them up against the wall whenever they do something annoying.

Anyhow, I digress into another sick little fantasy. The important thing is that parenting teenagers isn't easy. It's hard work and any parent will tell you that it's mostly thankless work. Whenever we try to help them, we look like we're trying to stifle them. It isn't till they get much older that they look back and appreciate our hard work. By then we're old and have a head full of well-earned gray hairs. I guess, that's the price we pay for being parents.

Even though my kids annoy me, they're worth every second. In many ways, they're the best thing to have ever happened to me.

However, in the spirit of fun, here is my top ten list of things my teenagers do to annoy me.