Teen time

'Where is it written that teenagers must necessarily speak to their parents as if we were pond scum or, worse, middle-aged adults? Everywhere, it turns out. Pick up a parenting magazine or Google the words "teen attitudes" and you'll find a million "experts" claiming that hormones, coupled with an age-appropriate desire for independence, understandably causes teenagers (and even tweens) to treat their parents rudely...

When parents feed that myth by consoling one another for enduring our children's teen years, we do our youths a disservice.

Instead, we ought to raise the bar of our expectations so that as they grow, they gain the maturity and genuine self-esteem that comes from treating others with courtesy and respect.
Do my teenagers make me feel lucky? Every day of my life. Just not because they refrain from talking to me like I'm a potted plant.'


- Marybeth Hicks, Teens Not With 'Stupid'.

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