Parenting Your Teenager: What Parents Say About Teens

What is hard for parents

Letting them learn from their mistakes.

Trying not to fix their problems.

Learning to trust in ways I've never had to before.

We hurt when they hurt.

Being lied to.

Trying to continue to discipline.

Having the consequence ``fit the crime.''

Hearing ``you don't understand'' over and over, when in fact you really do or want to.

Letting them make more of their own decisions.

What is best about being a parent

There's more time for myself since they can take care of themselves more.

Learning, growing, changing and developing with them.

Watching them grow and mature.

Guiding them in decisions.

Feeling proud of and sharing in their accomplishments.

Hearing ``I love you Mom/Dad.''

Knowing that someday they will be adults who don't live in my house.

What teens don't yet understand

We try to do what we think is best for them.

We have other things in life we want to do besides what they want to do.

Parents sometimes make mistakes.

Sometimes we forget or change our minds.

How much we love them.

Parents want to keep kids from getting hurt, physically and emotionally.

We have feelings and needs, too.

We are adults.

I feel a responsibility to teach him how to take care of himself when he is on his own.

Although things may be different now, we have gone through some of the same pressures and challenges and want to understand and be there for them.

We have a vision for your future and what you can be, but we still love you just as much when you make mistakes.

We get angry when we are disappointed.

How much of a challenge being your parent is.

We want respect.

We want them to have a better life and not have to work as hard as we do.

Understand the stress that comes with the enormous responsibility of parenthood.