Teenagers are pushing my bottons

[likwid]

Allowance?

Go get a Brita filter and take it out of their allowance.

[vineyardblues]

Let it go, trust me ,,,,
We have more freekin kids over our house that eat everything.
The worst is the mess and then when you think it can't get any worse ,they leave a little surprise in the old bathroom for ya ...lol

VB

ps, hide your stuff

[Karl F]

Just outside my slider door on the patio, I keep a huge igloo marine cooler, spring, summer, fall.. full of poland spring bottles, gatorade, assorted sodas and ice, lots of. I make sure it stays full. Both my teens, (well one is 20) work 40 hour a week jobs all summer, and play soccer those three sesons, and after work, practise, or games, they come home to shower, and usually bring thirsty friends, and they hang out.... I look at it this way.. it's kinda like bait.. the teens are here, I know where they are, and What The Hell they are doing... my sons almost 21 (already back at school pre-season).. and is moving on, and I hear of what is offered at other folks houses... no wonder his age group don't come to my cooler as much anymore.. .. but they all still greet me with a smile and speak with me, with respect too!

[Raven]

stock it and lettem pay.
put a padlock on the fridge.

otherwise.... you loose.

[Jimbo]

I'm learning it's a fine line you gotta walk. Karl makes a good point, if they're at your house you at least know where they are, and there are indeed worse places. My 16 year old is part lazy, part spoiled, part slob, so she has no problem making the mess, but it's a battle to get her to clean up after her friends leave. On the otherhand, she is a good person, doesn't generally get in trouble and does extremely well in a school that in less than a year has had one teacher convicted of child molestation, and another fired just last night after he was arrested for serving beer and pot to minors, which makes me have to be a combination of Gunny Highway and Dr. Phil. Today it's more Gunny than Phil, as before I left for work I checked down in the basement where the kids "hang" to find an old dining room table, not special in any way, just a nice sturdy table the kids would play cards or Monopoly at, anyway, I find the top completely separated from the base on it's side, the bolts having been ripped through the wood, and the top which had two extension inserts, in four separate pieces also on the floor. Even Barney Fife could figure out someone was sitting or standing on it and it broke. Kids will be kids. If she had just told me when it happened and had someone apologize it would be no big deal, but what I got back when I talked to her was, "Oh yea, that table has been sort of wobbly lately. I bet it was broken and all it took was the cat jumping up on it and it broke." Naaaaaaaaaah. You come up with a more believable story before I get home, and you will be home, without your friends in tow, until further notice, I believe it's called confined to quarters. I feel your pain TattooBob!

[BigFish]

I agree with KarlF....when I was a kid my Dad kept us in sodas and we had friends over all the time. I will not complain when my kids have their friends over...actually they already do!

[whiplash]

I have 2 teenage boys and about 30 some odd friends of thiers that are always thirsty or hungery and an Italian wife who thinks its her mission to feed the friends ,the football team ( you should see those little darlings clean a table and the icebox out) and a boy scout troop. But I know were they are and by way of the heating vents I know what they are up to. They're all good kids ,but even the best kids sometimes make bad decisions. I've gotten calls at 2AM from kids that aren't mine " can you come pick me up? I'm $hit faced and my dad will kill me ". Better that than reading about them. If I can keep them safe and out of trouble it's worth it to me to pony up cokes and pasta dinners.

[justplugit]

Originally Posted by whiplash

I've gotten calls at 2AM from kids that aren't mine " can you come pick me up? I'm $hit faced and my dad will kill me ". Better that than reading about them. If I can keep them safe and out of trouble it's worth it to me to pony up cokes and pasta dinners.

That is a great relationship you have created with the kids,Whiplash. You have my respect and congratulations for taking the time and caring enough to build it.

Two other good books on kids/teenagers and parents, are Between Parent and Child and Between Parent and Teenager by Ginop. Well worth the read.

[gone fishin]

Bob - ya just need to vent. I reared 4 kids . Three girls and one boy. Karl and others hit it right on the head. It's better to sacrifice and feed em now, rather than having them running around and getting into drugs. God knows there is enough stuff for them to get into. As far as getting a teenager to do anything around the house - forgedaboudit. Numbskull is so right - get that book and read it. It will save you and your daughters relationship.

Your daughter has wheels now - that makes the relationship even more important. Man I remember when my kids started driving. I was a wreck every night until they were in the house. Later I found that it was because I really loved them and all the nuances didn't amount ot a hill of beans.