Do you cringe when your teenager starts a sentence with "Why can't you...",  I do. Usually. it means the start of a fight. Parenting can be such a rollercoaster of emotions.  How can this man standing in front of me be the same boy I rocked to sleep when he had a bad dream?  Opps I slipped into reminiscing again...  back to teenagers.  Last week, in a last minute request, Hey, I need an extra $20 bucks, I need to take her out on a date and I don't have any money...  Wait... what?  you're 15. 

Final week just before Christmas break is a very difficult time of the year for my high school sophmore. How do you study when everyone is having Christmas parties and enjoying all the christmas events?  Easy, I don't let him go... Esh

So he hides in his room and says he's studying... Music is playing he's singing, laughing and talking to friends... This is not my definition of studying.   How do I motivate this kid?  He's too old to make him read to me and sit at the kitchen table so I can watch him do homework while I make dinner.   or is he?..

"Hey kid, why don't you come down here so I can see what you are studying?"
----no answer

"Hello? what are you working on?
--- stuff
--- Hey did you get me a snow jacket for Christmas 'cause Dad got me pants... 

"I'm not telling you... are you studying? "...
--- no but I just sent you the kind of jacket I want. 

Baby you can drive my car
Yes I'm gonna be a star
Baby you can drive my car
And maybe I'll love you
Beep beep'm beep beep yeah - Beatles

No Bs no Keys! yes i said NO Bs NO KEYS... that doesn't mean you tried to get good grades that means when I look at School Loop (School Progress report App) it shows nothing lower than Bs for each subject. Here we go with teen number 2....

Today has been a flash back when my 15 year old was about 5 and I said no more TV today... TV was the best single parent babysitter. When they were babies we would sit on the couch cuddled together in some way and we would watch a movie and sometimes I had a bit of a nap.. It was great!   But turning off the TV always started the begging.. one more mom.. PLLLEEESE..  Nope, it went off and whining would begin.. It took about 2 hours of pouting and "I"m bored" before creativity would kick in.. then out came the thomas the tank engine clicky clack tracks and our little place became grand central station.  Well, fast forward to today, about 10 years later.  When I discovered a 'D' on a Geometry test where no homework was done, and a C- in Chemistry for a missing lab assignment I had to take all the electronics. (A family rule set before school started, a D and you lose your phone until it's corrected) While I only took the iphone away I disabled the wifi on his chromebook and ipad. (mac addresses on the router, super easy)  The begging began in a much more teenager way..