‘You’re doing the best you can, Mom and Dad!': A family gathering of parenting laughs for witty mothers and fathers (November 7, 2026)

Melissa Knudson • Writer

Nov 6, 2026 3:45 PM EST

Our perception of our teenage years is a little different from our parents'.

What were you like as a teenager?

When I look back at my teenage years, I cannot say I disliked them. Everything felt important constantly (sometimes too important), but it was fun. I remember starting to feel like an adult, gaining more independence, thinking I had the perfect answers to most questions, was just the tip of the iceberg. Having secrets with my friends, trying to navigate through my first crush and actually starting to have interests that I wanted to keep. It was definitely a…unique experience.

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Welcome to parenting a teenager...it is a unique experience.

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For me, it was adventure after adventure. It felt like being the main character in my own teenage drama film, and it was fun to watch. From my perspective, of course. My parents remember it a little differently. According to them, that was also around the time when I stopped listening to any advice that came from them, even if it clearly made a lot of sense. As a bonus, I also started talking back, slamming doors, and speaking in a language that was definitely not inspired by a dictionary. Now that I’m an adult myself, and have dealt with a couple of teenagers, I know they were not exaggerating.
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What can we do? Teenagers are difficult, because being a teenager is also quite hard. I make it sound like a walk in a field of roses now, likely because I miss it a little; but in reality, it had very clear negative sides. Going to school, for example, felt impossible some days, and not exactly because of the very advanced math. As teens do, I was constantly looking for validation from my peers and getting into arguments with people as I felt like my way was the only correct way to do anything. Also, every minor inconvenience felt like a heavy rock I had to carry around. Little did I know how much I still didn’t understand about life.
On the other hand, the ups are also undeniable. Not having to worry about any sorts of finances (other than a small allowance). Homework was the greatest responsibility I had to face, and I got to hang out with my friends every single day, all expenses taken care of (you know, school tuition being paid by parents and all). No doubt, life was simple. Friends, essays to solve trouble, lots of learning, and a sport if you had the extra time.
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I know teenage years are not always a bliss. It is also around the time you start to deal with some adult complications. That said, it is also the time when I started to shape into the person that I was slowly going to become as an adult. Discovering myself as an individual was an experience I would never give up on. So, next time you feel like kicking your teenager out (which is completely fair, teenagers can be the worst), take a second to look back at who you used to be in the wild years. As an alternative, you can also take Lois’s train of thought from The Middle and use your creativity for the crazy task that is to parent a teenager.