i dnt personally have a teenager but have more or less brought my little sister up since she was eight due to mum working all the time.
we have gone through phases with her,, we have had the "im big and bad and know everything stage" and we have had the im gunna drink with my mates then be sick stage
but all in all she is a pretty good kid,, she has her hobbies and her mates n stuff and she has more leeway than i ever got but on a whole abides by the rules,,, im kinda dreading when my two get to that stage,, i hear all kids are different but most teenagers are the same

great post

kimberley x x x

my daughters 18 and is really outgoing..no idea who she takes after..lolShe's just done her A levels and is hopefully going to uni in the autumn.I'm proud of her, as she manages to study and work as well, and has a lot of mates !!

Hi Inca, I have a 13 and 16 year old too.

My oldest does seem to have the world on his shoulders though as he concentrates on nothing but preparing for university. He wants to enter the Air Force academy and is doing everything he needs to within his Junior year of high school to prepare for it. Sometimes I worry that he is overloading himself (Civil Air Patrol volunteer cadet, taking advanced classes in summer school, volunteering with mentally challenged children, and many more) but at the same time I am proud of him for looking to the future. He had to stay home and couldn't join us on holiday because of all his activities.

He doesn't drink or run around with friends though and I worry the day will come that he will miss it and then try to make up for it.

What do you all think?

AC, I think you're son will work out a happy medium

My son is pretty much the same. He has Marine Cadets twice a week, plays 5-a-side and 11-a-side football once a week as well as playing for a rugby team. He is also going to start going to the gym as he wants to join the Royal Marines at 18, and as the training course is incredibly intensive, he wants to prepare himself physically and mentally over the next 2 years for that. He still manages to squeeze in his girlfriend and social life into that too as well as applying for an apprentiship as a heating engineer. Sometimes I worry that he's going to burn himself out, but he manages to juggle them all quite well.

agree with wolfie....... i think all in moderation my son is off to college in September and i want him to really enjoy this summer as a teenager......I think your a long time grown up

wonder what the teenagers on this forum think ?????

It would be interesting to get a teenagers point of view Inca. They'd probably be able to teach us a few things

Perhaps you should start another thread: 'Teenagers speak up'

They are a mystery to me, so might be quite interesting to hear their point of view