A father thinks out loud – Raising teenagers

Challenges

Now some of you are so mild-mannered and put-together, you wouldn’t get upset even in the event of your last piece of chicken dropping out of your plate, Me? I get upset when my car won’t crank, when I stumble over some shoes in the sitting room or in the hallway. At times, I forget to and do the same. But what is so annoying is when your kids replicate what they see, and that is irritating. You hate to see your worst in someone you love. I might be patriarchal when I say this, but dads itch to have sons and daughters. Dads love their daughters and sons too, but the crunch comes when they all demand space and justice.

The TV programme you love watching becomes replaced with what they want to watch: Nicolodean! I wish they were shareholders in the company! As my daughters and my son grow their needs become more and more pronounced, the way they dress to the colors and designs or patterns of what they want to wear. They now make decisions about everything and I get replaced from dad to the cash dispenser or the judge of a fashion show.