dj6372

I'm loving this thread, but it does make me think were we all as appalling as teenagers?

I seem to remember the odd tiff, making me save up half for my Chopper was a killer

But really................?

petitefrancaise

In my early twenties I took a then-boyfriend home to meet the folks. I was a bit put-out to hear mum telling him that she was actually quite glad when I left home!!

The first christmas I didn't spend at home and went gallivanting instead, mum told me that when she heard I wasn't coming back for christmas she went out and bought a dishwasher - so I must have been doing something useful all those years.

Gordon Barlow

Oh dear - some sad stories there, which are giving me a lot of laughs. I'm a grandparent, see, with lovely granddaughters of 15 and 12 whom I am with only twice a year for two weeks at a time - once in their country, once in mine. To those on this thread who are a generation younger than I am - you just have to hang in there, people. When your kids have children of their own you will be able to enjoy them (the latter) and have none of the responsibilities. Hasten the day, eh?

SultanOfSwing

No, we were a better class of teenager. The ones who turned 13 in the 90s are the gold standard, of course.

Millennials and whatever the subsequent crop are called (if they are considered separate) are just cnuts.

WEBlue

Absolutely! I can't wait to be a grandparent.

It seems a nice reward for all the years of being a parent....

markonline1

My 6 year old step daughter is already a complete nightmare. She's currently seeing a counsellor who suspects she may be either bipolar or have ADHD which runs in her side of the family. We really need super nanny in to deal with her. I ****** dread to think what she will be like in her teens.

petitefrancaise

http://britishexpats.com/forum/attac...1&d=1439561837


made me laugh and not too far removed from truth!

SultanOfSwing

That is really very accurate

jmood

My single dad US boyfriend has an 11 year old daughter whom he adores and with whom he is totally consumed. I know she is and can be as difficult as the stories in this thread but I hear none of the sentiment from my boyfriend. Quite the reverse, the worse she is the more he tries to do and the more time he spends with her and on her to make her better.

I'm NOT at all saying the sentiments in this thread are wrong, I'm sure I would feel pretty much the same (having no kids of my own) but I'm wondering where the stark difference is coming from. Could it be a UK vs US culture thing? Or do you think it's just that my boyfriend is "different"?

SultanOfSwing

His daughter is eleven. Give it a couple of years and he'll be ready to throw himself under a train like the rest of us.

N1cky

I don't think your boyfriend is any different.

I think most people try spend more as much time with their kids as they can, and coming on here and having a moan about your kid, is different to actually doing it face to face. Where I might say on here, "she was a total 'mare today", I wouldn't say that to her. Likewise I would say it to my husband, but probably not to someone who I was starting a relationship with, I wouldn't want to scare them off

jmood

Our relationship is not that new, it matured before he started needing to devote this much time to his child. Actually he is scaring me with how unavailable he is due to the time he feels he needs to dedicate to her to (a)make her feel secure (has issues with her own mum and (b)to give as much to her in every way possible while he (my BF) is in good health and able, so that she can be the best she can in life. Not scaring me with how much/many issues she has (seems she has plenty - but isn't that life). Part of that scare may be how "consumed" he seems to be with her - though of course being a good parent gets him stars the degree of "consumption/devotion" may be questionable. Though of course, again, not having any of my own, I can't speak with any authority.

petitefrancaise

Actually, now is the only time you can be the "perfect" parent...... so easy to know everything before the sleepless nights! I know, I was once that perfect parent.

This thread is HUMOUROUS!! Many of us have laughed at the anecdotes seeing the universal truths behind them.

My eldest is off in 2 days to go to Uni. I've told her I'm renting out her room, she informs me that she's changing her phone number....

jmood

petitefrancaise

Does anyone else worry that they are turning out sociopaths?

Littlest spends ages gathering little stones at the lakeside, puts them on top of a barrel/buoy and asks big bro to leave them alone. big bro knocks them off. Littlest screams for you-know-who (that'll be me). When big bro is told off guess what he says.. he deliberately knocked the stones off because it makes a more interesting interaction than leaving them alone. aghhhhhhhhh! That'll be another glass of wine to calm me down then.