Pre-Teen

Absolutely. Once they hit 14 it is smooth sailing. You can pretty much stop keeping an eye on them, very trustworthy and honest.
Good Luck

To be honest, NO. But I suppose you could be more specific as to what you are inquiring about.

It is all part of growing up and we too must have our trials as parents. My oldest will be 21 in April and the roughest years were 15-19 but things have been better, a lot of that was dependent on me as I had to let him go once he was an adult (18) and 'suggest' things to him rather than 'tell' him things. The one thing if anything I would say is be consistant but also give him room to grow, I kept clipping my son's wings per say... but I was reminded that he does have his own opinion and as long as I keep the doors open for him to come to me even if I don't like what it is he is going to say he will come and we will remain close.

It is easy to forget that our sons one day will be grown men and be the strong kind of family man we want them to be, but we need to help that along NOW... guide and direct them... I know they think they know everything but they are so busy trying to figure out who they are and what they really want... Hang in there it does get easier but it will get worse before it gets better, but remember once they are adults they don't have to come back... but we want them to... that depends on what happens now.

I am NOT saying to be easy and not discipline etc... just keep the lines of communication open... believe me sometimes I think my son says things just for the 'shock' value and how I react... I have learned to stay calm most of the time.

The answer to me is no, infact you need to be more aware of your child. You need to be able to listen and hear what he is saying. You need to be active in his school, sports and learn who his friends are. I worked harder with my children as teenagers then as young children. Enjoy every min. you can spend with him and grow with him.

I have to say that middle school was horrible in our house. My son was a good, trustworthy, well-mannered child and he still went hormonal! I think that was the worst time. As a 19 yr. old, he still has challenging moments but on the whole is a good kid. I do feel that boys are sometimes easier than girls if you can keep them on the straight and narrow as a parent. I would recommend a lot of family connection and good communication. My son and I have a good communication system. He can talk to me about almost anything and what he doesn't I can usually work it out of him. I also know him well enough to be able to tell what he is up to. He did go through a bout of lying which we are working on the trust issue again and it will always be an issue once that is broken. Try to stay on top of who he hangs out with, and as my girlfriend had suggested to me, have his friends to YOUR home to see what they are up to and who is a good/bad influence. You just have to be a mom-detective. It will be work, but don't sit back and think it is over.....there is still trouble to be had.. Good luck.

It depends on what you are referring to. But I was a horrible teenager. You must set up bounderies and make sure their are consequences to their bahaviors and reward good behavior. Do not ever let them see you "sweat." Demand respect at all times but always be there for them. Make family time fun times and be respectful of them as well. Be a cool mom, but not too cool. Let them talk to you without judgement, be open-minded but enforce rules that will keep them safe. The teenage years are tricky. They are trying new things and will have to learn from their own mistakes. You can't coddle them, but you can encourage them. You can tell them to not be stupid and to think about things before doing them. You can also tell them that just because their friends are doing something does not mean they have to do it too. Good luck to you!!

Depends on how good a parent you've been. If you've tended to be loving and have listened to your son, you shouldn't have too many problems with him. There tends to be a year or two somewhere between 13-16 where they are either a little emotional/moody and/or want to distance themselves a lot from you to form their own identity. If you don't take that personally, it will usually go away around 17.

For me, it has all gotten easier the older they've become. I found the baby/toddler years the hardest because you have to do everything for them and you never get a break. Now my kids (youngest is 16) barely need me and it's SO much easier.

My friend who was a Professor of Nursing had me give her preteen kids a Midol when they walked in the door after school. In about 30 minutes we had normal, well adjusted,non heathen kids in the house. Some of them started having mood swings and outbursts at about 10 years old and when they were really having behaviors they got the midol. So it can start around 10 years old.

It seems that kids are going through what we call PMS on a daily basis when their harmones are changing. The midol has some Tylenol, a diuretic, and a muscle relaxant in it.

It is also the medicine of choice by my FIL's doctor for migraine headaches. Anytime he feels one coming on, or senses it, he takes a midol and in about 30 minutes he feels fine and no headache comes. He hasn't had a migraine in about 5 years thanks to midol. It's a wonderful drug.

It will be different. When they were little you had to take care of their physical needs, but now you will be directing him emotionally. It's easier and it's harder. You'll worry if you're doing the right thing, especially when he becomes sulky or angry. But if you've raised him right for the past 13 years, the problems will be temporary. The amazing thing is that once he reaches 15 or 16 he'll become protective of you, and that is wonderful.

The biggest challenge I've faced with raising teens is when to say yes and when to say no. My formula was two times no and one time yes, and while my kids thought that was a little too strict, they grew into responsible men of whom I am very proud.

Teens are a hard time. My DD turned 13, and it isnt getting any easier for us! She swings back and forth between rolling her eyes at me or getting a 'tude', to comming up and hugging me or wanting to snuggle. They are in a push and pull situation, still needing the attention they got as kids, but needing autonomy and more freedom to be themselves. Anger comes very easy at this age too, they can get very fustrated with us. I thought I would skip some of this ( as my child is homeschooled), but no, I see she is ppretty much going through what I did with my mom... Wearing big britches and thinking she knows best, not wanting to be "preached" at, bossing her siblings around, etc. sigh........

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No, unfortunately it doesn't get easier until they get through high school. The problems you deal with change. Middle School is difficult because you have so many children who think that they are "grown-up" enough. Middle-schoolers have a tendency to be very sensitive to what anybody says or does, but not very sensitive to what they say or do. Forthought during these years is a completely lost activity. Eventually they do have enough brain developement to start to understand why you, as the parent, feel the way you do about things, but in the mean time, love, accountability and persistence must prevail.

M. (Mom of 17 & 20 year old boys)

When my children hit this age I swore there were days I could've buried them in the backyard with no regrets. We have survived 4 of our 5 children going through that age and know we have one more to go. It does get easier I promise. In my experience at about 16 things started returning to normal, sounds like forever huh? Just realize the hormone hurricane running through his body, establish some ground rules about behavior such as no name calling, and hold on, it is a bumpy ride but it was worth it all.

I say yes and no. I have two teens and the differences between before and now is; the physical dependency sort of leaves, but now I have to be a psych analyst so that I am always one thought ahead of them . For some reason they think they become smarter and wiser than you. So in my opinion the easy part is prior to them being teens. Now you will have a child being with a little adult dictating from with in. Its a delicate balance to build but keep a handle on their independence.