Teen years, is this really my child?

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When I was raising my eight children and they hit their teen years, I often wondered if the creators of the movie "Invasions of the Body Snatchers" based the movie on their own experience of raising a teenager. It seems that once your child enters their pre-teen to teen years, something happens to that cute child that once looked up to you and listened to almost everything you said. They did their best to obey the rules and when they broke them they worried about the consequences. They gave you sweet homemade gifts for Mother's day and weren't embarassed to give you a hug and a kiss. Then boom, almost overnight, that beautiful, cuddly child turns into a creature you no longer recognize. Almost every word out of their mouths is an argument. Instead of obeying the rules, they push their limits. You are no longer the most important person in their lives. Their friends are. Despite your best efforts, you no longer are aware of everything that they do and you worry about what you don't know. Almost everything you do and say will embarrass them. The teen years were the worst years for me. However, all my children are grown now. Somehow they all managed to be well liked, well-adjusted, mature adults. Not only do we have the close bond that we once did when they were babes, but we have a deeper one now that they are parents. The best advise that I can give to a parent of any child is to establish the rules when they are still young. Believe that they will remember what you taught them when they reach the teenage years. Grit your teeth, offer your love and hold on tight. There will be an end to the storm. You just need to wait for the rainbow of adulthood.