Does anyone here have a teenager?

[SW FL Dem]

My son just turned 13. He's a great kid, we're very close, but I see signs of change coming. I'm not sure I'm ready for this - I can't be old enough to have a teenager!!

[The empressof all]

1. 13 year old daughter

So far so good. I sense a lot of ambivalence about growing up. She accused me of depriving her of her childhood the other day when I suggested we wouldn't hide Easter Eggs this year. Guess I have a brief reprieve for a while. Any good suggestions on where I can hide the eggs?

[izzie]

2. No I served my time.

It was generally at about 16 I lost it.

[lolly]

3. Two

No teenaged boys yet (7 more years), but a 17 year-old and a 15 year-old girl.

Had about 1 1/2 really bad years with each one--roughly equal to 7th grade. But it blew over.

Lots of renegotiating of roles all through teenage years--its hard on both of you, but you get through it.

[Cursive_Knives512]

4. I am one

Mwahaha. :evilgrin:

[ConservativeDemocrat]

5. Yup. 13, last Feb.

My baby isn't a baby anymore.

She's also a great kid. Straight As. Popular, but not snooty. Started a highly successful Anime/Manga club at school. Fluent in Spanish. Jr. Lifeguard. Good friends.

Of course I'm terrified of her first big crush. Half the world goes out the window when that happens. On the other hand, we did a lot of work preparing her for the emotional tidalwave, and we've got good communication. So she should weather it ok when it happens. Her mom and I also pick our fights. That's important too.

- C.D.

[jedicord]

6. What's Anime/Manga?

My son's (10 yrs old) goal in life is to become an illustrator for video games. He's WAY into Anime, but I haven't heard Manga. (I'm probably too uncool for that!)

[everythingsxen]

12. Manga are comic books essentially

A large portion of anime starts off as manga, then gets made into in anime. COnversely almost every anime that was not based on a manga has a manga released when it becomes popular.

[Cursive_Knives512]

14. Manga rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!

What everythingsxen said is correct. And a lot of the time, the manga version is a lot "harder" than the anime version. So just because the anime for a certain series is age appropriate for him, the manga might not be.

[Shrek]

7. My son's almost there

He'll turn 13 later this year, and it's jarring. He's already pestering me to teach him to drive.

And my wife keeps bugging me that it's time to schedule some father-son time and have "the talk."

[SW FL Dem]

10. My hubby left it up to me. I got it over with in 5th grade

with an anatomy book and a few glasses of wine. My son knows that he can ask anything and so far, he does. Good luck!

[Shrek]

11. Okay, I've got the anatomy book already.

Any kind words of advice on how to approach the topic? He's a smart kid and we've had some fairly frank discussions on other issues, but this particular "area" hasn't come up yet.

And I can't use my own Dad as a model because he never bothered.

[SW FL Dem]

20. Take a deep breath

For the first conversation, I focused on what my son could expect as far as changes to his body and gave him a brief of the "plumbing". I used actual medical terms and the pictures helped to keep it from getting too uncomfortable. I didn't go into too much detail about sex because my son was younger and wasn't ready for it. The most important thing I did was let my son know that he could always talk to me about anything. I got through :}. Several of his friends are starting to go through puberty and he hears a lot of stuff at school. My son had some questions about what he was hearing and he actually managed to find a way to ask me. Keeping the lines of communication open is the key.

[HEFFA]

8. I don't have any, but I teach about 200 per year. Ask me anything.....

I'll do my best, but the truth is that no one answer or approach fits every kid (as I'm sure you already know).

[bobbieinok]

9. helpful info I heard on NPR when son was in 7th grade

The reason everything is so intense at this age is because so much is a 'first' - first love, first rejection, first <whatever>.

There's no history of 'I made it thru pretty OK the last time, I can make it thru again this time.'

When we're older, we lose some of the intensity because we've been there before.

[Asteroid]

13. I have a teenage brother who is 13 going on 14

Though I no longer live with my brother or parents, I hear about the trouble he causes often. And since he is younger kid in my family he gets to pay for all the stupid things I did at his age in advance.

[havocmom]

15. Develop strategy for maintaining composure, keep communication open

and work on your poker face. Sometimes the hardest thing is to not laugh.

A friend of mine discovered the joys of an online support group which she jokingly refers to as 'the child abuse prevention league'. Sometimes it is a help to have input from others in same boat and some who have paddled the boat further down the stream. Perspective is a great tool.

All will be well, you can do this! Wait til he turns 30 and starts grumbling about "kids these days..." Then you can feel a bit old.

Good luck and check in with us.

[Shrek]

17. LOL . . .Child Abuse Prevention League

Thanks, that's a keeper!

:thumbsup:

[NC_Nurse]

16. My son just turned 16, and

I've got a 17 and 22 year old (both girls). He's been much easier for me. Girls like to argue with Mom a lot. He is more into arguing with his Dad. Yay!

Being ready to talk about anything, deal with anything, and ask uncomfortable questions always comes in handy. :)

[dweller]

18. 2, 17 and 19, daughters

everyone tells me my troubles are just beginning...

i wonder why?
dp

[Zookeeper]

19. There's something about 7th grade...

from my experience with my 13 year old son, and from conversations I've had with several other parents. Common complaints: All of a sudden previously good student doesn't care anymore and child becomes sullen and argumentative. I believe (and have read) that this stage is a replay of the "terrible twos," except terrible-er. :)

The good news is that it will pass....

[SW FL Dem]

22. I heard the same thing from the school guidance counselor

My A/B student started getting C's and not doing his work. Part of it was attitude, the rest was a lack of organization and study skills. Luckily, my son seems to have an aptitude for sports and wants to make his high school team. He has realized that he has to have a 3.0 if he wants to play. He found the motivation to do more than the minimum and to take a few organization tips from mom.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

21. In 5 years, I will.

:scared: :scared:

Edit: GAAAAA I have 1 year less to live!