Help! My Teens are Driving Me Crazy!

Welcome to the club! I have raised four children and, thank God, my youngest is 17 and graduated from high school this past May. For some reason all of my kids, and my friends' kids, go insane at around the age of 13 or 14. They do not seem to regain their sanity until somewhere around 18 but, by that time, you are ready to kill them. Your kids are testing their boundaries and they probably don't even realize that that is what they are doing but it's a part of their development. They pick on their parents because parents are safe targets who won't be so quick to kill them. Hang in there...your teens will become humans again eventually.

I notice that you're 38 years old--and I also noticed that you're from Anderson! Is that Indiana!?!--which means that you were pretty young when you had them. Even if one of them is 13, you were only 25 when he/she was born. If one is 18, you were 20 when you had him/her. My guess is that you're probably a single mother, because it sounds as if you're dealing with them alone. Is their dad involved in their lives in any way, and would he be willing to become the primary parent and you would simply have visitation with them? I notice a younger child in your profile picture, so I'm guessing that the teens aren't your only concern. What kinds of things do the teens do to make you feel that way? I've heard of parents being driven up the wall by kids at particular ages such as the terrible twos or the teens, but you've actually gotten to the place where you can't stand your teens. Yes, it sounds awful, but, at least, you're being honest about it. If I knew more about your situation and what you feel are your available resources, I might be able to give you more helpful answers, so please give more details. I know that this age is a difficult time for trying to raise teens. Perhaps--unless they're totally-irresponsible--they need to feel a part of something. If this is the case, I would recommend their checking out Invisible Youth Network and finding out what sorts of volunteer jobs are available. http://invisibleyouthnetwork.org/ It could be possible that being in a position of helping to make a difference in the lives of homeless and/or at-risk children, teens, and young adults would bring out a more mature side of them.