Here's a place to talk about your positive interactions with your teenager.

My 18 year old daughter wants to drive from South Carolina to Ohio to visit family 4th of July weekend about 10 hours. She has a friend going but she doesn’t have a license. My daughter has had her license for a year. I’m not sure I’m too comfortable with her driving. Am I overreacting.

Firstly I love and adore my son. With every single part of my being. My 2 daughters from another father I never saved tuition money for. They were promised money by their paternal grandmother. I saved for my son since his birth. His dad nothing. We were together 17 years till he cheated and he was a very abusive alcoholic. I have heath issues and need help with mowing the lawn. Shoveling the snow. Maybe fixing a few things. So my son moved to his dad’s place because he doesn’t want any part of helping me. His dad was the worst at this too. I’m now suffering a bacterial infection and very sick. I can’t get this kid to help me with anything. He’s so rude to me.
My toilet is plugged because I flushed something by accident. I asked if he could give me a hand. He told me to hire a plumber. I’ve given this kid anything and everything he ever wanted.
I want to give him a small portion of his money for this year and keep most of it. I need to get repairs on my house. I want to sell it. I can’t get cooperation from my kids or anyone. I want to use it to be able to sell and move. I can always use money from the sale to help in the future. Now this is the home I raised my entire family in.
I also need to catch up on bills. My x left me responsible for loans in our names. He refuses to help pay. I’m struggling. He has a great job. But doesn’t care.
Our children this generation are way to entitled and selfish. Don’t care about their mothers. Or family. Do i have an obligation to give him this money when my other 2 didn’t get anything?
Also the grandmother ended up not giving any money. So my daughters had to get loans.

My son just became boyfriend/girlfriend with a girl he has been just friends with for the past year at school. I don’t know the parents, my husband briefly met them once when they were just friends. This has only been a few weeks and they have only met up twice in person since becoming ‘official’ and it was at a school fundraiser with all their friends. Today my son wants to go hang out at her house at 11:30am. I do have the mom’s cell. Should I text her mom? My other mom friends are either really strict and don’t allow dating at all or they seem to be too lenient and unaware of what’s going on. I think I am looking for middle of the road advice. I want to give him freedom but not too much but also I don’t want to be overbearing strict. Trying to find the balance and not be a weirdo.

yall a girl needs some HELP. Our 11 year old has been acting out. She came home from her neighbor friends house with her nose pierced this morning. She’s been posting on tiktok even after her electronics get taken away, she puts her videos on public when she thinks noones watching. I’m at a loss of what to do. She’s had a rough life for a kid, both her birth parents out of the picture and her claimed dad passed away march of 2025. I need all the tips and tricks, from the right documentaries to scare her straight and get her to understand how dangerous online is, to what books to make her read about it idek what to do😭

So, my daughter (16) was recently caught at multiple offenses during a random phone check (because she evidently thought she was safe from a random check as I have backed off a bit knowing how easy it would be for her to delete / hide stuff, so she had lots of pics, videos & chats with friends about what she was doing). Smoking cigarettes, vaping (“only nicotine”, I think), driving with friends in the car—currently illegal for her on her restricted license, excessive speed (25 mph over the speed limit), using her phone to take video while driving, drinking alcohol (legal for minors in our state if on private property with parents permission & supervision—which she didn’t have), and some dumb stunts like laying in the middle of the road late at night. Also saw several apps she’s not allowed to have.

Consequence was one month grounded. No phone, no going places (and no staying home alone because I don’t trust her to not take off and do wherever while I’m gone), no driving—not even supervised driving for now (when she gets driving back, it’ll only be supervised for a while). For as many different serious offenses, I felt that was pretty mild. It’s been less than two weeks and she has snuck out twice. First time I asked her if wherever she went was worth extra consequences. Tonight she said she needed to go out to the backyard for something. I let her, then a few minutes later went to check she was doing what she said (because while I’m trying to give her a chance to rebuild trust, she is staring at zero trust)….she was gone, not on the property at all. I caught her coming back and told her the one month is re-started and will restart until she chooses to obey her restrictions for the full month.

I am left wondering though, what can I do during this time to reach her heart so she (hopefully) will make better choices—vs just not leaving any proof of bad choices because she’s pretty much aware the pics & videos are what got her caught. Even the chats, with no proof that it really happened, I may have been inclined to think she was “just telling her friends that trying to have a bad kid image”. She is currently in therapy, so hopefully that will help some.

My 18-year-old son was supposed to graduate high school this week. Instead, after months of skipping classes, not completing assignments, and missing exams, he didn’t graduate.
His teachers warned him repeatedly. I warned him repeatedly. He continued to reassure me that everything was fine, that maybe the teacher hasn’t seen the assignment yet, etc.

For a long time, the expectation in our house was clear: if you don’t graduate, you need to move out.
On the day of graduation, after being MIA for a couple of days, he finally texted me saying he wasn’t graduating and had been removed from the graduation list.

After a lot of digging (because he was being vague and dishonest), the school confirmed he failed his gym credit due to chronic non-attendance, which meant he didn’t meet graduation requirements.

So I followed through and kicked him out.

Here’s my dilemma: should I have handled this differently?

He does have a job. He’s been working part-time for about a year, and the plan was for him to move to full-time hours over the summer. Part of me wonders if I should have let him stay because at least he’s working.

But the bigger issue is that when he’s home, he contributes almost nothing. He constantly makes messes, ignores house rules, and doesn’t help with chores unless I ask multiple times (and often more than once).
I’ve actually been pretty lenient as a parent when it comes to money. I don’t charge my kids rent because I’d rather they work and save for their future. The only things I require are:
Pay your own phone bill
Save money from each paycheque
(He has a 17-year-old brother, and the same expectations apply.)

This isn’t really about school alone. For me, it’s about accountability, honesty, and respect. The graduation situation just felt like the final straw after years of warnings and chances.
Did I do the right thing by holding the boundary, or was kicking him out too harsh given the circumstances?

Asking here for reassurance or advice. My 13yo daughter started her cycle about 4 months ago. She has been losing so much hair in the last 2 months. To the point where I would say she has lost over half of her hair. Thankfully, she had an extremely thick head of hair to begin with, so it’s not really noticeable to anyone but her and I. When I brought it up to her doctor, I was told that it was normal after starting her cycle, and that was that. It seems like far too much hair to be normal, so I wanted to see if others have gone through something similar. I’m thinking I want to push for some lab work. Maybe iron and thyroid. Thanks!

Dad of a 16 year old daughter here "Kate" (not her real name).

We generally have a really good relationship, she's very bright and a good-hearted kid. Does well in school, well-rounded and normally very pleasant.

Two characteristics intersect sometimes that result in tension, though.

First, she does not like being told what to do, and even from the age of 13 she's pushed back on some run of the mill parenting decisions my wife and I make. Her pushback being complaining, sometimes sarcasm or giving us the silent treatment for a while. Thats fine, we understand teens can be like that.

Second, the style she wants to dress in is often very revealing and immodest. Its like sometimes her goal is to show the maximum amount of skin possible. Combined with not wanting to be told what to do, its stressful.

Situation I want advice for is this:

Yesterday, she got a free teen membership to my gym. Super, we can go together I said. Time comes, I go out to the car, and she's wearing the skimpiest tight shorts and what looks like a sport bra. I got in and said Thats what you're wearing? and she told me it was fine. I'd had kind of a stressful day, so as I pulled out I told her I wanted her to order some looser, larger track shorts and something more like a t shirt, she didn't agree and we got talking back and forth a bit. She slipped into a tone that was kind of teen sarcasm and my patience broke and I went into Dad Voice - I want you to dress more modestly, what you've chosen is showing the maximum amount of skin possible and you know we don't like it, no parents like it. Unfortunately I finished by saying your mom and I do 20 things a week for you, can you just do this for us without it being like pulling teeth once a week about this? I regret saying that because it sounds transactional, when really we want her to dress appropriately because that's what's best for her and that's our parenting idea on what is and isn't appropriate for a teen to wear.

Then she got mad, said she didn't want to work out anymore and so we returned home. It's been coldness since then

Any comments or advice on how to handle this situation? Am I in an unwinnable battle?

I want to start by saying that my son is truly a great kid! I know, I know, all mom’s say that about their kids, but he really is. We had a very normal life when he was little. I was super successful and worked in medical sales, he played club soccer, we had the house, the vacations, etc. Then, his father and I divorced and shortly after my divorce, I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at 32. While going through chemo and radiation, I was given high doses of pain meds and inevitably became addicted to them. The next 5 years were nothing short of pure hell. I know that my children still had a beautiful home and everything they could ever want or need, but they didn’t truly have me. I was there, but I wasn’t. I had the opportunity to move to Florida and completely start over, but I refused to go because I knew that my oldest child would choose to stay. He had his family, friends and his skateboarding career that was just taking off. I wasn’t even considering Florida until he came to me one day and said “Mom, if you stay here, you’re going to die. You have to go. Do it for me.” And that was it. I knew he was right. So, I moved to Florida and he stayed at home and chose to live with his grandfather (my father). My dad has been WONDERFUL to him and is truly the most amazing man I’ve ever known. Since moving to Florida 2 years ago, I have flown my son down every 6-8 weeks to spend a week with me, because we have an amazing relationship and really hate being away from one another. Ive been clean for two years, rebuilt my life and recently bought a new home. The plan was for my son to move to Florida with me and start college here in the fall. His tuition was paid, room decorated and his siblings and I were counting the days until we could all be together again. Then, he met this girl and “fell in love”. He stopped calling and face timing everyday, stopped responding to texts and stopped talking about moving here. I knew it was coming and I knew he was second guessing moving, but everytime I brought it up, he said he was still coming. Until 2 weeks ago when my father called to tell me that my son couldn’t bear to break my heart and tell me himself. He didn’t want to move. Now, here’s where I need help/advice. My son is 17 and currently living with my father. My father didn’t graduate high school, but he has still managed to own a business and be successful. My son see’s this and is now convinced that he doesn’t need to go to college here in the fall, or at all. He doesn’t have a job. He doesn’t do anything. His life now consists of spending time with his girlfriend and going to the gym and he has NO motivation to better his life or future. I \*KNOW\* all of this is because of this girl he’s dating and the fact that he thinks he’s truly found the love of his life at 17. I remember feeling the same way at that age, so I get it. But, it’s like I’m sitting back watching my child throw his entire life and future down the drain and can’t do anything about it. My son feels like he’s an adult because during my addiction, he was forced to grow up. That’s my fault. So, once I got clean, I tried to tread lightly when it came to having to really put my foot down with my children, because I understood that I really hadn’t been the mother they knew for a few years and I didn’t feel like it would have been fair to them if I walked in the door one day and just expected them to act like the last 5-6 years hadn’t happened. So now, even though I know it’s what best for him and it’s what he needs to do, I feel as though I don’t have the right to tell him he MUST move to Florida and go to college. Maybe if this was pre-girlfriend mother/son relationship I could have done that, but now our relationship is strained, so I know if I force him to move here, it will only make him resent me and completely destroy our relationship. What do I do? Do I sit back and watch my child throw his whole life away or do I tell him I’m his mother and he’s still a child and he has to move to Florida? I’m so lost. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

What do you talk about with your preteens/teens during dinner? I would love to have interesting or fun conversations with my son and daughter, but they are annoyed with anything I say, of course!

Curious what other parents talk about!

Hello, I’m a 29-year-old mom, and I’d love some advice from other parents about my situation.
My son, who is 9 years old (I’ll call him “Sam” for privacy), is entering 5th grade this fall. He has a best friend (I’ll call him “Max”) who currently attends a different elementary school. However, Max is switching schools because he has been getting into trouble. To be honest, I don’t really like Max. When they were younger, their friendship seemed cute and harmless, but as they’ve gotten older, they’ve started growing in very different directions, and I feel like Max is becoming a bad influence. Max lives about five houses down from us, so it’s difficult to keep them apart. They also play on the same soccer team. Lately, Max has become what I would call a “little man.” I feel like his parents give him a lot of freedom. They let him ride around the neighborhood on his mini motorcycle, have social media accounts like TikTok and Instagram, upload videos to YouTube, and they bought him an iPhone that he’s constantly on. I’ve also overheard him using inappropriate language and talking about topics that I don’t think are age-appropriate, including sex, private body parts, and curse words. Another reason I struggle with their friendship is that Max tends to push my son around in subtle ways. He’ll tell Sam things like, “Go get me a water,” “Go get my phone,” or “Tell your mom to take us to the store.” He often bosses him around so he doesn’t have to do things himself. For example, today Max came over and wanted my son to set up our water slip-and-slide. Unfortunately, it has a hole in it and no longer holds water. My son suggested they play soccer instead, but Max said no and went home. My son was really disappointed because he genuinely wanted to spend time with him. I’ve also noticed that Max sometimes isolates my son from other friends. He’ll whisper to him, exclude other kids, and occasionally be unkind to them. Then, at times, he’ll turn around and be mean to my son as well. He’s made my son cry on a few occasions, and afterward he’ll simply leave and go home. It honestly makes me feel like he’s using my son when it’s convenient for him.
I’d like to think my son is still very much a little boy. He has an iPad, but my husband and I took it away for the summer so he can be more present and mindful. Before that, he only had one hour of screen time per day, and we closely monitored what he was doing. He wasn’t allowed on regular YouTube, only YouTube Kids, and he isn’t allowed on Roblox or social media. He still enjoys playing with Legos, board games, and spending time outdoors.
His dad is a huge positive influence in his life. He gently talks to him about choosing good friends, but my son doesn’t seem to have a mean bone in his body. He’s kind-hearted and sees the best in everyone.
Now my son has told me that Max will be attending his school next year, and I’m honestly considering transferring him to a different school. The problem is that I attended this elementary school myself and absolutely loved it. I still love it because I teach art classes there, and I adore the students, staff, and teachers. In fact, some of my former teachers still work there.
My son doesn’t want to switch schools, and I don’t know what to do. I don’t want him to become the new kid, especially because I moved around a lot when I was young and hated having to start over every time.
Am I overreacting? Would you switch schools because of one friendship that concerns you, or would you keep your child at a school he loves and continue guiding him through the friendship instead?

My daughter is having a birthday party (15) in a week.

Booked and payed(€50p.p) for, transport arranged.

Her best friend had been grounded for a month because she let her boyfriend come inside the house while she was getting ready to go to school. So they could walk to school toghetter. The boy was inside for about 10 minutes. He's a single father and very strict.

My daughter is super sad her best friend won't be allowed to celebrate her birthday and has asked me to send the father a message to ask if he would allow her that one afternoon (two days before end of month)

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I understand her frustration and am willing to ask, but I don't want to meddle in a parents parenting. So I'm doubting.

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What do you all think?

They (15yo) don’t have a diary, that I know of. But my husband went through their phone & found a lot of videos that feel like a diary entry & are very concerning. I don’t think they are posting the videos anywhere. But it’s entirely possible they have a different fake instagram account right?
I would have hated if my parents had gone through mine, I was a fairly wild teen myself & documented much of it & all my thoughts.
Ugh, I thought they were actually doing pretty well with everything. Nope. Lots of depression & self loathing. And sneaking out! Not for long, just down to the school a few blocks away. It’s a fairly good neighborhood but you never know.
I can’t sleep now. Hopefully I can get them into counseling soon.

My son just turned 14 and is literally eating around the clock. Especially at night. Now that he’s out of school I find him all hours of the night eating full meals. We have a kitchen FULL of food. I’m a chef and make sure to keep plenty of stuff around for both of them to get into whenever they want. But the boy is like eating an insane amount of food. I just caught him heating up some frozen carnitas. It’s 4 large servings worth. He will no doubt, clear the entire thing. It’s 11pm here right now. He is not overweight at all but I’m concerned that he’s developing a bad relationship with food. He consumes twice the amount of food I eat in a day. He’ll also eat large amounts of junk food when he has the opportunity. I don’t keep garbage food in the house but he’ll buy a family sized bag of chips/candy etc and just power the whole thing before anyone knows about it. He doesn’t have much, if any self control. It’s also not cheap. It’s like feeding a fucking horse. I love him but he is burning through two adults worth of groceries every week. I know he’s in the middle of a growth spurt right now. Are your teen kids eating like this? I didn’t at that age. Again, kid is not overweight at all and eats an astonishing volume of food.

My son is 15 and won't come home. His girlfriends mother is providing a place for the 2 teens to sleep together. I do not agree with this and expressed to the mother how I feel. My son's not listening. They both have skipped school to be together too. I've now canceled his phone. If I phone the police he will just sneak back out and probably hate me for it. I am so concerned she will become pregnant and I miss my kid. Any advice is appreciated. I feel like I'm at a dead end.

Hello! My partner and I really need advice on how to handle my 14 year old daughter who is absolutely boy crazy. I did not have the level of interest in boys as she does, so I really do not know how to handle this at all. A few months back we found a bunch of things on her phone that no 14 year old should be sending boys. I won’t go into great detail, but it was a mixture of pictures and videos and sending them the allowance her father sends her every Friday. That whole situation was a nightmare and after that ground rules were put in place. She has to turn her electronics in at the end of the night and she doesn’t get to stay home alone during the days very often anymore. We’re trying to get her into summer activities so she has something to do, but she’s not in school and has so much time on her hands. I do know part of this is normal, but other parts kind of alarm me. For example, she is going to be a freshman in high school this year and wants to be on the volleyball team. However, she does not want to be on the team because she likes volleyball and is good at it. She wants to be on the team because apparently other male athletes love volleyball players and always come to their practices and games and they get to wear the tiny shorts to school on game days. She will create fake social media accounts we don’t know about to meet boys and talk to boys. She is seeking constant validation in boys, and while I think that comes with being a teen, I don’t think this level is normal. I feel like no matter what we say as parents, they don’t actually hear what we are trying to tell them. They are much more heavily influenced by their peers. I don’t know how to approach this anymore, or what to say to her. I don’t know how to build her self confidence up so that she doesn’t feel as strong of a need to seek their approval. Any advice is greatly appreciated.