This is why you have daughters...

**Edbear** · 19th February 2011, 13:16

Because they grow up and get married, and then you get sons-in-law who can do stuff for you!

**mashman** · 19th February 2011, 13:19

i'd rather my 3 stayed celibate and called me to do their "stuff"

... But then, i still have the teenage years ahead and likely not long after that i'll be singing your tune

**Maha** · 19th February 2011, 13:19

Could have bought a goat.

**Edbear** · 19th February 2011, 13:26

Originally Posted by mashman

i'd rather my 3 stayed celibate and called me to do their "stuff"

... But then, i still have the teenage years ahead and likely not long after that i'll be singing your tune

My sympathies, mate, you've got the fun times ahead of you...

Originally Posted by Maha

Could have bought a goat.

Quite right, of course but the goat would have eaten the grass, the washing, the plants and shrubs and left the ground covered in little "raisins"...

**nadroj** · 19th February 2011, 13:55

Originally Posted by Edbear

Quite right, of course but the goat would have eaten the grass, the washing, the plants and shrubs and left the ground covered in little "raisins"...

Send them to the food festival on the west coast!

**Edbear** · 19th February 2011, 14:00

Originally Posted by nadroj

Send them to the food festival on the west coast!

Apparently you can get a squirt of horse semen to go with them this year...

**mashman** · 19th February 2011, 14:41

Originally Posted by Edbear

My sympathies, mate, you've got the fun times ahead of you...

so people keep telling me.... BASTARDS

**Edbear** · 19th February 2011, 15:13

Originally Posted by mashman

so people keep telling me.... BASTARDS

Main thing with teenagers, is that as a parent, never give up, never give in, be a rock they can either cling to or bang their heads on, but always be the rock.

They need constant reassurance that what they are going through and what they are feeling is normal and that they are not aliens or somehow "wrong" as a person. Often they won't know whether they are Arthur or Martha, let alone whether they are coming or going. When they explode and rant, stay calm and resolute, give them time to go off and cool down and let reason return, then sit with them and see if you can sort out the problem. Don't argue when tempers are flaring and emotions are high, as they simply cannot, by reason of physiology, think rationally at that time. That's when the danger is as a parent that you may say or do something you will regret.

When they say they want to die, or that "their whole life is ruined", look for something really simple that is bugging them, help fix that and suddenly their "whole life" is rosy again and they are happy.

They will struggle to express themselves and need all our understanding to try to see where they're coming from, as they may not tell you the truth for fear of rejection or ridicule. Above all this, be aware that despite whatever they may say, teenagers will generally believe you, so be careful what you say as it will come back to bite you later on. You have been their hero their whole lives and that doesn't change. You've been their provider their protector - so big and strong and never wrong for the last 12-13 or so years. The problem is with them and their changing bodies and emotions with new thoughts and feelings they've never known before, coming on them so strongly and irresistably that they don't know how to control and organise them. For the next 6 or 7 years, their whole life is going to be turned upside down and changed completely at a speed that will leave your head in a spin.

**munster** · 19th February 2011, 15:15

This why I had a daughter. 15 years old and carries my pigs. Sons are too lazy.

**Edbear** · 19th February 2011, 15:20

Originally Posted by munster

This why I had a daughter. 15 years old and carries my pigs. Sons are too lazy.

Good girl! Yeah funny thing about sons, maybe it's not being the Alpha male in the house.?

Our son usually mows the lawn, mind you he is 35 now...,though not nearly as carefully as Ben does, but he tweaked his back at work and has been on physio for the last two weeks. I'll be wrapt when I can get back out there and weedeat and mow myself!

**JimO** · 19th February 2011, 15:24

bugger having daughters, i have 3 sons, they can bring their girlfriends round for me to ogle

**Sable** · 19th February 2011, 16:05

Haha pussywhipped much?

**oldrider** · 19th February 2011, 16:28

Originally Posted by Edbear

Because they grow up and get married, and then you get sons-in-law who can do stuff for you!

I got me one of those! (unfortunately, you get more done when they are fresh!)

**mashman** · 19th February 2011, 16:32

Originally Posted by Edbear

Main thing with teenagers, is that as a parent, never give up, never give in, be a rock they can either cling to or bang their heads on, but always be the rock.

...snip...

Cheers Ed... I have a 19yr old son

, so been there done that, he's very much his own man, which is all I ever wanted for him... I know what he gets up to because I ask him (albeit i've been an absentee parent over the last year) and he tells me. That's all I want from my girls too... but girls, ugh, I remember of age girls

... not looking forward to the teen years, but as that's 6 years away for the first one, I've got 6 years of finding out how to stop getting things wrong