Well, it’s a two way street. Sometimes teens can be horribly rude! You know, the rolling of the eyeballs, talk to the hand, all that stuff. Well, when you know someone very, very well, and they are rude like that, you don’t have a problem calling them on it.
Often when you try to talk to a teen about a potential problem they can get very defensive, rather than listening.(ie: “Running away from home is not a good idea. A lot of bad things can happen.”
“Oh mutherrrr!! You’re clueless! You have no idea what you’re talking about!”)
They really can’t fathom that you were once a teenager yourself, therefore you have no idea what they’re feeling. (My favorite…my 16 year old daughter said she liked it when boys whistle at her. I told her I’d always hated it. She said, “Mother! Nobody’s ever whistled at you!” sigh.)
I tried really hard to keep my cool with my teens, but….they’re fluctuating emotionally, and aren’t always real rational. I mean, I’m the same Mom I always was, and my relationship with my now-adult kids (Lord, where did the time go) is very good, and very different from when they were teenagers.
Both sides need to be patient,respectful, and try to really listen, and talk.