Teenage Son, Aaaarg!

[66impala]

Just seeing if someone has been there and done that with having a teenage son.
My middle son is one month shy of 16, all he does is challenge mom and dad on any subject this year. He fights with his brother all the time. Now he is trying to chest bump with dad a little as of yesterday. He saved his money and bought a 95 jeep wrangler that I was with him to pick out and buy, jeep needs some work, but nothing major. I got started working on it while he was in school and was told by my wife that he wants to work on it with me, but he shows no interest while im around to do anything with it.

Other issue is the F#@ing I-Phone my wife bought the kids. It has turned the kids into zombies, but that is just my opinion.

I have my 2004 sportster sitting in the garage, Ive asked him two different times if he would like to go and try riding it. Another no interest.

Any advice on kids would be appreciated.

[rickrider]

Well, in only 4 years he'll be 20. I know, my son turns 20 next week. He's a good kid but there sure is some stuff he doesn't get. (And I can't tell him). I know over all after having 3 daughters and a number of foster daughters that girls do mature sooner that boys. Most of our girls went thru that at 13. More important is how does he do with the big things? Is he in school? That kind of stuff.

[hasselme0]

I heard that the middle child can have some "issues" with brothers. As far as the phone its what all kids do, sit around and text each other or get on the internet or play games. I have to tell my daughter to put the damn phone away as she has it in her hand all the time.

[Ireeman]

I love you is all I just said thru the tuff times, i have a 10 year old now and i will do the same.

There is no excuse for unacceptable behavior, boys will challenge. Just be firm and fair.

Telling them you love them freaks them out....they don't know what to do with it.

Total retreat and pout in room.

The smell of family dinner will bring them to sense and out of room.

Laugh often, even when confronted with hormonal infested teenagers.

[lockdoc]

I feel your pain. I have TWO 16 year olds and a 19 year old. Little f%#@s is what they are. But I love em to death and spoil them. With the 19 year old I did everything with his first car. After he damaged it and since then I MAKE him help fixing it or it doesn't get fixed. One, they have more respect for their ride and Two, I get to play cars with them. I'm cursed that out of three sons, not one is a gear head like their dad. Just kills me. But i make do. The fighting between them was unbearable. I'm lucky i didn't kill them. But once the oldest hit almost 18 he finally matured enough to stop fighting so much. Much better now. Just had to wait it out. As for the chest bumping, I would just laugh and say bring it on, should I call child services or do you want to cause I'll knock you out! lol. I also manipulated the oldest to learn to ride the Sporty I have so we can ride together. Just took our first ride together last weekend. Priceless. I won't even go into the Iphone. Argh!!! That's just what they do.

[Old Goat Ninja]

First time I balled my fists at my dad (about 16 yrs old) I got socked. Hard. He beat the crap out of me lol... Not spanked, beat up. Best solution? Probably not, but I never did it again!

My son is 13... Not sure how it will go when it's his turn to chest bump or ball fists. But at 13 he gets smacked across head a lot for his mouth. Love him to death, hate his mouth. Smart @$$ little sh-t...

[Ireeman]

3 to 5 years it last for boys. Age 20 and beyond they start asking for your insight.

Answer the bells early and laugh it off during the teens...respect goes both ways.

[DBH]

My 2 boy's actually turned into real people when they grew up, the transformation was amazeing. I remember grabbing them by the coller and seperating them only to have them back at it in 10 minutes. Younger one started the slug in the shoulder for a while, just kept it up, hitting a little harder each time. One time I was in a bad mood anyway, and he poped my shoulder pretty good and I turned and popped his shoulder right back good and hard about knocked him down. The look on his face was priceless, he never did it again and got a lot easier to live with after that. Teenageitis is a disease they all seem to have to go through, it takes some a little longer to get better than others. They either had to drive my old Blazer or earn enough for there own car. They hated that Blazer so they were motivated to work enough to buy what they wanted, or at least what they finally decided they could afford. They broke it or wrecked it, they fixed it, no takeing it to town unless they paid cash. I helped but they had to be there, if they had to go , I dropped the wrenches. The tickets...1st one park it for a week, 2nd park it for 2 weeks, or until they had earned enough to pay the tickets, and they had to go to court before the judge. Now I watch them with there own kids and laugh.........they really will out grow that disease.

[dr.feltersnatch]

Maybe get him involved with sports of some kind. Be it baseball basketball martial arts whatever it sounds as though he needs to burn off some excess energies. Or maybe he just needs to get laid right now he is in a weird transition between boy and man and its easy to teeter too far one way or the other. Either trying to be an immature kid or trying to be a dominant man. He will find his place. Oh and I do remember when I stepped up to my father like a man, some day I will show you the scars

[jharback]

My youngest son is the same age. My oldest is 40. Trust me, just be patient. He'll grow out of it if you have instilled the right value's in him over the last 15 years.