I just want to pack my bags and leave home for a few years.

Please tell me it will all be worth it in the end, or at least in about four years?!

They solved this "problem" in the olden days by swapping kids with other families and putting them to work on the farm.

Something to consider?

It's a bumpy ride, that's for sure. Try not to argue with hubby over them. Walk away when they are really horrible and go back when they have morphed back into some semblance of nice and don't sweat the small things. When they start turning into normal humans, they pack up and leave home

Ok, will consider.

But there's the rub. I don't want to swap mine for someone else's. That might be poor deal. Could I swap them for a cat perhaps?

We recently switched discipline tactics from punishment to reward (based on advice from a professional in this area).

So, rather than lose a privilege due to bad behaviour, she has to earn a privilege by doing a chore/being kind/respectful. Making sure she has a snack every 2-3 hours seems to help, too.

She's not even a teenager yet... but we're all in therapy trying to figure out how to stop her getting into the red zone or deal with it a bit better when she's in it.

Make the most of their knowledge while they are still teenagers and still know everything

The narrow, selfish sphere of their headspace is a thing of scientific wonder.

But you gave me hope in your last line - they do turn into normal humans...

What do I get if I'm nice to them?

You'll earn the peace of mind that, in turn, they'll treat their own children this way.

If you survive far enough to witness that

Treat yourself to a couple of weeks in the tropics in a hotel with a spa. Pay for it with their trustfunds/inheritance money

It's really hard, and if you knew that beforehand, you wouldn't have them.

They do get better when they leave home. Modern life keeps them at home too long.

So yes, it gets better! Cling to that.

Oh dear lord... Sounds awful!!

I thought life was hard work with sulky cheeky 9yr old. It gets worse?? I thought he was going to morph into all these well behaved Canadian teens I keep seeing. How I wasn't quite sure

He'll start smoking bud like all the others.

It's all worth it when they have set up your lap top and PC, after that it's just treading water till the next gadget is purchassd and u needs more teenage IT help.

This pretty much sums up my Son on becoming 13...

Danny B, having a 14 year old who morphed into Kevin, this is brilliantly observational- really funny but sadly true- funny when it came out originally and even more now!