Teen grand kids

Senior GD, now 26, was a monsyllabic teenanager but nowadays is a lovely young woman enjoying life with her partner and dog, and becoming an experienced globetrotter with lots of holidays in quite out-of-the-way places. Younger DG will be 16 in September and yes, her bedroom floor is her wardrobe! However, she is an Army cadet, a Cubs leader and Explorer Scout, works a couple of evenings in a chippy, has a boyfriend (of course), can shop for England and still manages to do very well at school. I don't think she has time to be a 'typical' teenager and goodness knows when she manages to sleep.

I am with you Bluebelle and identify with you in that, tongue in cheek it may be but actually it’s hard stuff to negotiate ! I’m a mother of 4 girls, 2 of whom were fairly hideous teenagers at times and now have 7 granddaughters - 2 teenagers and the rest aspiring be so, those early years are a dawdle to negotiate by comparison . My only comfort is that all my “girls” (and my “boy” too actually) have somehow grown into responsible and caring adults, albeit more in spite of me than because of me. So I work on the assumption that the same will be true of the next generation whose parents are all doing the best they can in these very challenging tines.
In the meantime I just try to hang on in there with them all (in a rather bemused granny sort of way) and hope that the effort I invested in them in those years of bedtime snuggles etc will pay off in the end.

I've not forgotten my own children as teenagers so was not surprised to have teenage GDs and expect such behaviour. But they can be lovely. GD is in a theatre production and it is lovely to see her on stage and in stage make up looks terrific. I was bursting with pride although I have had nothing to do with it.

I used to give a lot of English coaching and some mothers were desperate when they brought their teenage children. I always told them that in 5-6 years the child they knew and loved would return to them and they cheered up a bit.
It is difficult time.

Take heart BlueBelle they do come out the other side as sensible caring adults, my three had varying degrees of teenage angst, very wearing but its a rite of passage.
I seem to remember my own children in the dim and distant past behaving in much the same way. It's hard to believe one is now 50 and the other 44.

Have a two week DGD ...my sons little girl....am aiming to be around for her teenage years...and to support E if she makes me a GGM...just not yet please. .

I will never know the joys (and woes) of teenage granddaughters, but I remember what DD was like as a teenager?. I have been trying to shut it out of my mind for thirty years ?. My best friend told me the other day that her thirteen year old GS has just gone into the silent moody stage! I said “Good luck with that!”

As older gps of two small children it’s not certain we will get to see our two as teenagers, attend graduations or weddings, and does make me a bit sad, so we try to make happy memories now. Teenage years are notorious for being difficult, I don’t envy that, but they pass and those of you lucky enough to be younger may even get to be great gps...wow. Enjoy. Even if you feel like yelling at the moment.

I quite like the teenage DGS he doesn't get up at 6am any more and in fact I can get up, have a quiet cup of tea and tidy up before he rises. When you despair of them ever finishing their hair/make up etc BlueBell just be grateful you weren't up at dawn making breakfast.
The worst combination is pre-school GCs and teenage GCs. One lot get up at dawn and the other lot never go to bed.

BlueBell We have just managed to come out of teenage years with the 4 x eldest DGSs and are experiencing it all again with the 2 x younger ones (DGS14 & DGD16)
The eldest 4 where no problems always got on well together but her ladyship can cause war in an empty house and is a weapon of mass destruction in the house but we will get there in the end xxx loving them all but they have their moments don't they.

Thank you downtoearth I feel so much better for your post

We are now getting ready for going out, tv goes on whilst straightening hair before going in the swimming pool !!! big argument about what to watch youngest made three suggestions all rejected, by middle one. younger one in exasperation throws remote towards middle one which unfortunately catches her on the arm, middle one flies for younger one who by now has tears welling up
Welcome to my world (I m singing that) tra la la
Oh Happy Days ( I m singing that too

they might be messy but they are pure entertainment ,mine tell me allsorts of stuff ...some I refuse to believe is true and some that makes me laugh until I cry.And thats just the boy...the girls although not quite teens yet are hilarious with their makeup and still all crowd into the bathroom to watch me do mine before applying(trowelling) their own.Enjoy every minute .They'll be off doing more important things than granny's house very soon .

She is 19 by the way

E has been with me since she was 4(my DGD) ...her teenage years mirror those of her mum (myDD) she is a walking disaster area ,trails of toot spill out of bedroom into every other room in our space challenged flat,you booj a space in the bathroom ...am currently here waiting for a slot some time before 1pm today...hair washing so I am told,and popping in and out during my 5 minute slot to get whatever beauty product forgotten on exit....my fault I hurry her up....laundry ,towels,in a heap ...I pick my battles,love her unconditionally...and she makes me a cuppa every morning as my OH goes out too early

My 18yr-old DGD is living here at the moment.
She is hard-working, bright, conscientious and caring BUT my spare bedroom has never been so messy!
I'm torn between going in to clear the decks and respecting her privacy.
Her virtues definitely outnumber her vices so no nagging from me!

As long as mine are happy to "hang out" with me, I don't complain. They are all the same - I love it all.

Oh how sickening Teetime ? ( truely only joking ) you are very lucky
I find up to 13 and on their own they are delightful and fun, but in numbers more than one and from 13 to 18 only delightful in very short bursts, whoops just tripped over another bag that weighs a ton and has everything in it bar the kitchen sink (does a teenager girl know what a kitchen sink is) now got to go and wake two up as I m going to try to take them somewhere today instead of ‘hanging’ ‘relaxing’ ‘just chillin’ I ve been and renewed my mortgage in preparation ???

Mine are all teenagers now but all delightful and great fun.

BlueBelle, what a relief to know you aren't looking for advice. You're wise enough to know the world of mid teenagers and also, that they grow out of it. Two of ours are now in their twenties, absolutely lovely - it's that bit in the middle where we need to remember, we've all been teenagers, we've survived the teenage years with our now adult children.
Plus, the overwhelming love we have for grandchildren - well it sees you through x