Teenagers - Are They Human Once They Reach 15 or Are They Aliens?
A few years ago I sat snuggled on my sofa and watched the famous "Kevin the teenager" sketch on The Fast Show and like the rest of the country thought it was hilarious.
Little did I realise that rather than a comedy sketch it was a premonition of what was to come.
Just like Kevin, one day in Year 9 my son turned into the dreaded teenager.
He went to bed my cute little blonde bombshell and woke up as a sulky mini man who thought the world and more specifically me were plotting against him to make his life a misery.
School became something he didn't think he should have to go to if he didn't want to and no amount of discussion with the school dissuaded him from this opinion - the day after the pro forma for the £50 non attendance fee came through our post box, he asked for games for his X-box.
Tantrums, sulks and bad moods followed day after day for three years.
My doctor explained that his hormones were raging and he would grow out of it...
no help at all I am afraid, Doctor.
One day around nine months ago, my son returned to me.
A lot bigger now but the moods had gone away as quickly as they came, the sulks disappeared and occasionally, just occasionally a smile would break from his lips and he would be nice to his mother.
Progress has been slow but steady, and all in the right direction.
I am writing this article for other parents who are going through what we went through as a family.
Our consultant paediatrician claims this syndrome is called "extreme teen" and my other son has not suffered from it.
It is a nightmare to live with and incredibly difficult to control.
Raging hormones in young men are responsible in many cases for them going off the rails and onto drinks and drugs, but my main focus throughout the whole of this dark time was to keep our relationship from totally deteriorating through lack of communication and pressure from the outside world such as school.
As time went on I realised that it was in fact temporary and that it was not worth breaking our relationship down just to show the outside world that I was in charge.
My relationship with my son, I realised, is for life not just three short years.
My advice is to give them time, give them space, let them breathe and at the end of it your relationship will be stronger than ever before.
Little did I realise that rather than a comedy sketch it was a premonition of what was to come.
Just like Kevin, one day in Year 9 my son turned into the dreaded teenager.
He went to bed my cute little blonde bombshell and woke up as a sulky mini man who thought the world and more specifically me were plotting against him to make his life a misery.
School became something he didn't think he should have to go to if he didn't want to and no amount of discussion with the school dissuaded him from this opinion - the day after the pro forma for the £50 non attendance fee came through our post box, he asked for games for his X-box.
Tantrums, sulks and bad moods followed day after day for three years.
My doctor explained that his hormones were raging and he would grow out of it...
no help at all I am afraid, Doctor.
One day around nine months ago, my son returned to me.
A lot bigger now but the moods had gone away as quickly as they came, the sulks disappeared and occasionally, just occasionally a smile would break from his lips and he would be nice to his mother.
Progress has been slow but steady, and all in the right direction.
I am writing this article for other parents who are going through what we went through as a family.
Our consultant paediatrician claims this syndrome is called "extreme teen" and my other son has not suffered from it.
It is a nightmare to live with and incredibly difficult to control.
Raging hormones in young men are responsible in many cases for them going off the rails and onto drinks and drugs, but my main focus throughout the whole of this dark time was to keep our relationship from totally deteriorating through lack of communication and pressure from the outside world such as school.
As time went on I realised that it was in fact temporary and that it was not worth breaking our relationship down just to show the outside world that I was in charge.
My relationship with my son, I realised, is for life not just three short years.
My advice is to give them time, give them space, let them breathe and at the end of it your relationship will be stronger than ever before.
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