My eldest daughter is the first teen in the family and so parenting a teen is all new to me. Here are some things I have found out about Living with My 13 Year Old over the last few months.

#1. She Still Likes to be a Kid Sometimes

I’ve seen her sneaking off to play with her younger sister or cousins. I’ve even seen her climbing into the soft play to help one of them and then revel at being a kid again.

#2. Teenager-dom is Stressful

Boys. High school. Friendships changing. Hormones. Mood Swings. Tiredness. Yes being a teenager is stressful. I actually do remember back to my teen years and remember some of the feelings so I can sympathise.

#3. The Mood Swings

Oh my God the mood swings. One minute sunny, one minute grumpy. And I mean REALLY grumpy.

You might like reading 10 Inspiring Teen Bedroom Ideas

#4. “I Hate You!”

I’ve had to learn to not take this seriously. We had a bit of this in her tween years when she got annoyed at me but somehow teenager-ness has made this statement more prevalent.

#5. She Doesn’t Like Housework

Luckily she’s not too much of a slob in her own room but ask her to help with housework and we get big sighs. (It’s not my favourite thing to do either in the world so I try to be patient about this!)

#6. She’s More Confident

She is way more confident than I was at her age. I love this about her. I must have done something right.

You might like reading 15 Things I Wish I’d Known When I Was a Teenager

I had to use this stock photo as my teen wouldn’t let me take a photo of her :)

#7. No Photos

Gone is the little girl who would happily pose for a photo with a big smile on her face. Instead I have a few recent photos of a hand coming towards the camera as she says “No photos!” for the umpteenth time. I occasionally manage to persuade her to pose for me, but only on the grounds that I won’t be posting it on my social media!

#8. Body Changes

She’s a woman now. She’s too big for kids clothes and shoes. She’s in small women sizes. Bless.

#9. Boys

She had her first boyfriend. It was a Skype-boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, a sign of the times. They met up once and had icecream. Then they split up amicably (phew).

#10. When Her Eyes Sparkle

She loves great tv series and movies. She loves new books. She loves having a laugh with her friends. That’s when you look at her and you see her eyes sparkle.

You might also like reading Survival Guide for Teenagers: How to Live and Deal with Parents

Over to you now. What are the ups and downs of living with your teen? Share them with us in the comments below.

Did you find enjoy this? Sign up for our free newsletter and join us on facebook and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest