LIVING WITH THE ENEMY
People often say that living with teenagers is worse than living with any other age group. But is this true? We talked to two parents with teenage children to find out.
Polly Cooper
Of course, it can be really difficult living with teenagers; sometimes they're rude and they can be quite aggressive. But it isn't only their age, it's also the type of people they are. My two daughters are very different.
Debbie's a typical moody fourteen-year-old and I think she's more selfish than Milly. I have to be much more patient with her. But Debbie's got her good points too. She's a lot tidier than Milly and she's also more organised. School work is easier for Debbie so her exam results are better. She's also very ambitious and wants to be a doctor.
Milly's as confident as Debbie, but she has bigger problems with school work and her exam results are usually worse. However, Milly's much more considerate than Debbie and she's less moody. Perhaps that's because Milly's two years older than her sister so she's a bit more mature.
I worry about Milly because she doesn't know what she wants to do when she leaves school. But I'm more worried about Debbie because she isn't as happy as Milly. I don't think parents ever stop worrying about their kids and I'll certainly miss them both when they leave home.