posted by Stacey on children, large family, teenagers, toddlers

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As of last summer, I officially became a mother to a teenager. I’ve learned a few things over these last six months and discovered something interesting. Teenagers and toddlers have an awful lot in common. Since I have both, it’s been pretty easy to make the comparison. So today, I present 10 ways teenagers are just like toddlers.

10 ways Teenagers are just overgrown Toddlers

1. Their favorite word is “NO”. Apparently, this lovely word that is a favorite among the very small, is also quite prevalent among the teenager.

2. They like to test their boundaries. Toddlers are always trying to figure out how much they can actually get away with. Well, so are teenagers. I remember too well doing this same thing. It must be a phase.

3. They throw tantrums. Yes. Yes they do. They are just bigger and louder and have learned how to slam doors. Last week, I had to put my teenager in time out. Yes. I. Did. I made him sit on the couch for 13 minutes.

4. They think they are the center of your world. I don’t know about you, but my toddler is constantly shoving everyone else off my lap and insisting I am all his. It seems that my tween and teen attempt the same thing, minus wanting to be in my lap. They think I have cooties. Now there is one big difference between the toddler and the teen!

5. They make sure to inform me that I am the meanest Mom in the whole wide world. I figure if they like me all the time, then I’m not doing my job right.

6. My sleep is not their priority and they like to postpone bedtime for as long as possible. I used to think that little ones were hard to get to bed at night with all their requests for animals, drinks and blankets. Boy was I wrong! My older kids are the queen and king of postponing bedtime. They need drinks and to tell me stuff and to find a book to read and…well, let’s just say that Dad and I have to pause the TV several times a night to tell a big kid to go to bed.

7. They beg for food. All day they beg. But do they eat dinner? Barely. The big ‘uns only eat dinner because they know they have to. The toddler is still learning. But then they are STARVING the rest of the night. Oh. My. Gosh. BECKY! (Name that song.)

8. They want all my electronics. My kids are spoiled rotten and the older ones have a device of some sort. But for some reason, my electronics are the holy grail and without fail, I will find my toddler and my teenager fighting over my devices. What is that?

9. The toilet is not a sacred place. I either have a toddler putting fingers under the door, crying because I dare desire some privacy, or I have a teenager knocking and talking to me. I need a sound proof bathroom. I really do.

10. Both the toddler and the teenager are people of few words. I give you a conversation with a teen:

“How was school today?”

“Fine.”

“Do you have homework?”

“No.”

“Oh. What did you do at school today?”

“All the usual stuff.”

“What kind of stuff?”

“Just the stuff I do every day.”

Granted, the teenager knows a few more words, but I can’t get any more information out of my toddler than that.

At the end of the day, I really love having a teen and tween. They really can be a lot of fun. But if I’ve learned anything about parenting it’s that if your kids don’t make you crazy at least some of the time, there’s something wrong.

Tags: humor, large family mothering, parenting