I have enlisted help from Lindsay, my favourite teen and oldest daughter, who, in her never ending quest to improve my parenting skills, has come up with a few helpful (?) suggestions.
When your teen gets her first boyfriend, do not under any
circumstances share this exciting news with your family, friends,
neighbours and the mailman. You may think it's cute n' all, but
it's guaranteed to piss off your teen. Of course there is an upside to this, you have successfully doomed the relationship from the start, and she's not going to be in any
hurry to repeat the experience. Score one for the parents!
Avoid any subject that has "parents" & "sex" in the same sentence. However, again on the plus side, if there is any indication that the conversation is heading
in that direction, your teen will probably run screaming from the room with their fingers stuck in their ears. Sometimes as
the parents of a teenager you just have to fight dirty. We have also discovered this ploy works just as well with the 10 year old too.
When your teen wants to download a song you are listening to, resist the urge to say "So, old people music isn't so bad huh ?" You will be wasting your breath, any form of irony, or even sarcasm for that matter is totally lost on your teen.
Finally, embrace the mood swings. Know that just as quickly as you became a forerunner for the "Mother Of The Year" Award, you can also be labelled as the "WORST. PARENT. EVER.", very often in the same breath.
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