Living with teenagers is an ordeal, right? Parents can only watch helplessly as their lovable children transform into some sort of unpredictable creatures, correct? No. Even if their kids are moving toward greater independence, moms and dads can still help them to become better human beings. And they can still laugh about the process!

As a follow-up to our earlier list, we at Bored Panda compiled a new collection of tweets about raising teenagers. It includes funny rants, candid everyday pictures, and even a few translations for those of you who aren't well-versed in sighs.

Continue scrolling, upvote your favorite entries, and don't forget to check out the chat we had with Vicki Broadbent, a mom of two boys with a baby girl on the way and the creator of one of the most comprehensive parenting blogs online, Honest Mum.

Experts say that we often mistakenly give teens the message that they're only good when they're not doing bad things, such as abusing substances, hanging around with the wrong crowd, or having sex. But this can become a self-fulfilling prophecy as negative expectations sometimes actually promote the behavior we fear most.

"Parents of teens have to accept it's normal for children to pull away from them during the teen years so they can carve out their own identity and embrace growing up," Vicki Broadbent, an award-winning lifestyle blogger, parenting expert, and bestselling author of Mumboss (UK) and The Working Mom (the US and Canada), told Bored Panda. "Teenhood is about playing being an adult. Parents are still needed, of course, more so than ever, to provide education, love, support, and boundaries for their kids."

Vicki said it's a good idea to try not to be too hard on your teen, as "rules were made to be broken and they will test you just as you tested your own parents at their age."

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Parents Tweets

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Teenager-Parents-Tweets

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Leo Domitrix
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cats are easier than teens in my (thankfully) limited experience of them.

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Adolescence can be a confusing time of change for the entire family, but there's plenty you can do to nurture your teen and encourage responsible behavior. "Try to involve them in decisions which affect them and try to break the cycle of constant bickering. Spend some one-on-one time with them but let them lead you, asking what they want to do, see, buy, etc. Get to know their ever-evolving personalities," she added.

"I found my parents teaching me to cook properly (a 3-course meal as well as favorite dishes) was a way we could not only bond together when I was a teen but it was a way to give me a gift of independence too, a means for me to become less reliant on them," Vicki Broadbent said. "You taught your kid to ride a bike, now teach them life skills so they can be adults without you at some point."

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34 Of The Funniest Tweets From Parents Who Are Raising Teenagers (New Pics)

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Lily
Community Member
3 weeks ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, I know. Kid ate dinner, then had 4 bologna sandwiches right after. Oy.

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Vicky Z
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When you have visitors and the whole place is clean but there is one shut door that if you open you are actually opening the gates of hell

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Vicky Z
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's not gonna be fun when you really need help though

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Finding the balance between giving your teenagers freedom and guiding them is a delicate process. Vicki thinks that "teens and preteens (like my eldest) need to know that there are consequences to their actions and explaining how you feel when they go against your wishes is best. Make it about you (this is what other therapists/psychologists have taught me and it works)!"

Discipline is about teaching, not punishment or control. To encourage your teen to behave well, make sure they understand what behavior is acceptable and unacceptable at home, at school, and elsewhere. Enforce these rules with fair and appropriate consequences.

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BlackPearltheSeaWing/NightWing
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can personally attest that this is true. I hate my coat. It's too freaking puffy.

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Aroace tiger (any pronouns)
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'd sigh to. If I didn't I'd burst into laughter and I don't want peiple to know how much I love dumb puns

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Marc
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, time (s)he learns it's not. We had a phase like that here too. One of our daughters had a time like that, when she lived worse than a compulsive hoarder. We then assigned each child their own set of dishes. So if they didn't clean their dishes or if they lost them in their room, they had a problem eating. It didn't take long for this behaviour to stop. Of course, we would never have let our children go hungry, but you don't have to tell them that.

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"Explain that coming home after their curfew means that you are up with anxiety until they arrive back home and that it's unfair on you, describing how you feel (breathless, tearful, etc)," Vicki Broadbent suggested. "Arrange a plan that they text or call you if they're running late and compromise with them, stating that they have 30 minutes leeway for example to make it home, and after that deadline is broken, they'll find themselves grounded and unable to attend the gig they'd planned to go to next weekend, etc."

"Inform them of what they might lose if they break the rules before they head out though so they're aware of the consequence before they go astray as this might hopefully deter them. Explain that you will give them more space if they build trust with you."

Most parents have more power and influence than they might think!

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Marc
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Money, food or at some point clean clothes.

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Tracy Baparam
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My hubby shuts down explanations about minecraft immediately, I on the other hand, smile and listen about the Netherworld, the netherite sword, Obsidian, the enderman and god knows what else. I still don't know what any of this is, but atleast my 9yo thinks I do. Oh.... Don't get him started on Thinknoodles...

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Karen Clark
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Learn from the Master! Next time he wants something you don't want to give? "Ah, no.....I'm just not feeling it.....vibes are off".......followed by dramatic sigh and soulful looking out the window...

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Foxxy (The Original)
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The way maths is done these days seems so different to how I learnt it. Even for the basics like adding and subtracting.

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A B C
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm way past being a teenager, but I'd be pissed, too, if anyone tried to take a picture of me for the sake of putting it online to annoy/humiliate me. This one is on the parents who suck, not the teen.

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Mrs S
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Boy I would have been in serious trouble for showing that degree of disrespect.

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Axolotl King
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Having a dad is sending them literally any message and getting a thumbs up reply

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RainWingRoyal
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I really like my parent's music choices. Can't believe I ever thought I was neurotypical.

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Note: this post originally had 35 images. It’s been shortened to the top 28 images based on user votes.

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