Ummmm...
Mrs C...
Was just sort of wondering...
If...
Well...
Kinda fancied looking after a certain 16 year daughter I know of...
You seem to be able to handle various problem people - thought you may like to rise to a challenge.
I can deliver - no fee...
Rog
So funny!!! Ah, sadly at 16, the process is already in full swing - you'll just have to wait til she comes out the other side.
I don't know whether I've been extremely lucky with my four, or if my attitude to parenting has made a real difference - difficult to do a real scientific study with your own kids! ;-) I did make a conscious decision to handle parenting the way I do, based on the fact that I simply couldn't (and still can't really) talk to my parents, and that they were completely intolerant and impatient of any teenage attitudes and were not willing to listen to any of our opinions at all, unless they agreed with theirs of course. You can either mirror you own parents' methods if they're good, or go in completely the opposite direction if they were a bit rubbish.
My eldest lad, who is now almost 23, was a very difficult child, but we still came through his teenage years relatively unscathed. Even at 22, he can still dish the attitude out though, but when I point out how unreasonable he's being, he's quick to stop and apologise. Despite his faults though, he is loyal to a fault and vehemently defends me and his siblings when the need arises.
For me, it starts when they are old enough to talk and understand what you are saying to them. I have found the following to be helpful:
Rather than just tell them off for something, I always talked them through it and explained why such and such was wrong.
If they felt I was unfair, I would always listen to their views and respect them and would relent and apologise if I felt they were right - even when they were little - or even if I wasn't over the top, just listening to them would calm them down.
When they were young, if they were arguing and going hell for leather at each other, I would mediate and again, listen to both sides of the story, which usually ended up with them talking through their differences.
I always made a point of sharing my own faults with them - including telling them about all the stupid things I did in my past, when they were old enough to understand. That way, when I was out of order, , they were more understanding than they would otherwise have been. The listening and understanding thing has always been a two-way thing with me and the kids.
The other thing I had to do was be the bigger person when their dad and I split and he married a real battle axe of a woman - it wasn't easy but necessary. She used to be a friend of ours actually, but we drifted apart because we didn't like her personality and the way she dealt with her own and our kids. Ironic that he would go on to marry her. She would make the kids' lives absolute hell when they stayed with them (accusing them of all sorts that they had not done, sitting them down for a grilling every time they stayed, and letting her girls watch the "fun"!), and I always had to pick up the pieces when they came home distraught. Their father would refuse to see them for months at a time, whilst telling everyone that I was stopping access!!! I would constantly make sure that the kids kept in touch with their dad and saw him when he was willing. No matter how difficult it was, I had to be reasonable.
Don't get me wrong, my "being more a friend than a parent" approach has its drawbacks too. Sometimes, they get ideas above their station, and are cheeky in a very overly familiar way, because of the close relationship we have, but they soon back down again.
My girls have had their fare share of problems too. When the evil stepmother told Melissa that I am a bully (after I told her a few home truths via email), Melissa, who was going through emotional turmoil at the time, actually believed her and began to hate me. I was extremely ill a few years before that, and almost died in hospital, and she began to wonder what life would have been like if I had died, which became her wishing I had. She started to imagine ways in which she could do away with me. It was really intense. Fortunately, she told me all this as it was happening, because we've always been close and she's always confided in me, and she didn't know how to do anything else, and came to the conclusion that she couldn't get through it unless she did talk to me. She knew it would hurt me but knew that we could both cope better that way than if she didn't talk to me about it. I just cuddled her and listened to her and we cried together, and I told her that her feelings were perfectly normal and that sometimes your mind plays tricks with you. The human brain is capable of imagining some pretty horrible things. After a few months, she came out the other side and we're closer than ever.
My other daughter recently dropped out of college and was petrified that I would be furious with her for hating college and wanting to leave. My husband (her stepfather Cowasaki) and I listened and allowed her to leave, as there is little point her being miserable in what she's doing. She's still at home now after leaving college in about April, and is just considering a career in horticulture after thoroughly enjoying helping me with our garden over the summer holiday.
I'm just going through some minor strops from my youngest, fifteen year old lad. But again, he's generally a very good lad, and any strop is very short lived. Most of the time, we all have a right laugh.
The kids (older three) and their partners come to me to talk about problems - even of a sexual nature, because they know they can trust and confide in me.
All the above works for me and my kids - it may not work for others - but one thing I can say is that I LOVE being a parent. It's the best thing I've ever done.