As I surf/preview a number of the social networks I can’t help but take notice that a lot of the “myspace” generation post annoyances about their parents. There are any number of variants on the same theme, but it is quite clear that some of these parents are in fact so darn annoying that they are starting to bug me and I haven’t even met them!
Well – in the interest of full disclosure: I AM AN ANNOYING PARENT. My teenage kid and trust me when I say he can join a support group with all the rest of you. He can attest that I take annoying to a whole new level.
There are multiple ways in which I am annoying to my kid:
1. I do it deliberately for the sheer sport of it. As a parent I find that there is little that’s more fun than bugging my kid. If I can embarrass, tease, poke or otherwise disturb them I will. Quite simply that is payback for having to spend years wiping their butts!
2. I am annoying based upon my rules, my perceived grumpiness (not true), my remarks regarding their behavior, their friend, their driving, their attitude, their grades… or any number of other things that they don’t like. As a matter of fact I am so annoying that the kid thinks moving out of the home before finishing high school will make me more pleasant.
Take it from this ‘ol man – there is NOTHING harder in life than being a parent. As a parent you are personally responsible for the creation and personal development of a human being. Duuuude, that there is some heavy stuff!
As a parent you do the best that you can but sometimes it isn’t good enough. You try to pass on wisdom, but it’s not always wise enough. You communicate the best that you can but it’s often not clear enough. It’s like participating in a movie production without a script and sometimes ad libing the part isn’t always perfect.
I’m sure that despite all those posts out there on the social networks to the contrary, parents love their kids greatly. While there are always tragic exceptions, I don’t know of any parent who wants anything other than joy and happiness for their kids.
So, bottom line is that no matter how much parents annoy you, they are your parents. You don’t always have to like them, don’t have to agree with them, but you should always love them. They sure aren’t perfect, but if you have a mirror handy…take a look at it. The apples don’t fall far from the tree!
Hear, hear, nice blog! All of it well said. Being a parent is the toughest challenge any of us will ever face…and kids are there to make us stronger people, all the while making us mental too!
Like your new website look too – very nice clean lines.
I enjoy your website, keep the good stories coming!
Woody
Thx for the feedback Woody!
Grrrr My parents are like hell since I turned 14.
Its shit living at home now. I value the love I have for my friends more than I do for my parents. Seriously I have flu at the moment and they are moaning at me and moaning at me and they shout at me to tidy up my room and pick things up – and i am really ill.
My mum listens in on my conversations over the phone and then when I hang up she gets all cocky and goes “Well, we shall have a word about what you just said”..in my head I am stabbing them literally until they beg for mercy, but on the outside I just am like “Oh shuttttupp!”
My dad pulls out the phone wire when I am one the phone. – bastard!
They moan at me and yknow today I told them that the week just gone I did 4 essays for history and they acted so shocked as if they thought I am going to fail all my GCSE’s and then they find out just how hard i do work – its crap really. I work so hard at school. They shout at me and boss me around.
I obey most of what they say.
But I just need a big fat break. I want to take a break and go to New York for 2 months and just relax. I wish I could skip the next 7 years of my life and just one day wake up and find myself going to work and enjoying it and earning loads of money and not having to have much contact with my parents.
I love them right – but they say “you’ve changed, your not the same Josie.” Its like “Well DUH I am growing up”
God!! And they do impressions of me when I say “Oh my God” my dad puts on the Catherine Tate accent and immitates me.
Then he gets angry and throws stuff at me – I had sum fat slash across my leg after he threw my school text book at me – it fucking killed for like 2 straight days!!!
I just want to take a break.
I cant deal with it anymore. My friends are my life. I work hard and play hard but when I come home they continue to moan at me.
Just 5 more years to go and I can leave and just enjoy my life.
=]
cant wait!
sorry i had to get it out sumwhere!! apologies
btw thats really cruel if you DO annoy your child/children.
imagine if you were them
sorry but if you were my dad and you constantly did that i wud probably take a knife to your throat. no offense. or id fuck your house up and then leave you to cry in tears.
us londoners get sweet revenge our way.
your clearly american.
Yo Josie, thanks for the read/comments. My post should be taken in stride. I don’t believe I’m as annoying as I portrayed. I do feel sad about your situation. I don’t have any advice for you. I hope the ascerbic comments helped you find a way of releasing the frustration.
I am one of those “tragic exceptions”.
how depressing…
I’m 18 and i’m still being bossed around…
as if i was still in middle school.
sometimes parents dont get it.
thats a fact–they never will too
because they are from a different generation,
different time–completely different world.
i can understand that when we “kids” become
parents we’ll understand why parents are
the way they are, but honestly, i dont think
i’ll ever be like my parents…80% of the time.
Q: how do you deal with a proud, red-neck,
stupid father and a meek, husband-obeying
mother?
A: Get away from them—-as far as
you can physically get.
‘nough said.
This is the sole reason why i am moving out to study at university in austrailia. The complete opposite side of the world. Me and my mum DO NOT get along at all and of course my dad, as the husband is forced to take her side. My mum constantly insists that my dad needs anger management when it is clearly the other way round. As she constantly threatens me to “pack your bag and get out” either because i do not want her help with a piece of homework (she is a teacher, and therefore thinks she knows about every subject under the sun) or because my room is a “shit tip”. Constantly rubbing in my face that she has a degree in this and that and yet im only at a-level and that i will get E’s and she will pull me out next year. This coming from the woman who tought photosynthesis was a type of photography and that Whales are fish. I don’t go out a lot as i cant be arsed with the continuous arguing that ensues each and every time and then she bitches on that i don not go out anywhere (and of course if i sleepover at a friends i MUST be drinking and i better watch my back).
I do not miss my parents when they are away or when i am away. I can’t stand to be in the same room as them. I am going travelling next year for a whole month, with money i have raised by myself, a trip i have sorted out by myself. I AM FINALLY FREE
Parents: The worse thing to any teenager
My parents treat me like I don’t know what a motherfucking pedophile or rapist is!
I can’t go out cuz I’ll get hurt or some stupid fucking shit like that!
Like I don’t know the dangers of the world!
I know about it! They treat me like I’m 5!
They yelled at me for getting a ‘F’ ONCE! Once outta my whole fucking school life! Only once! That once and they yelled ATMs so bad I started crying!
My mom yelled at me for walking home and not taking the bus and made me cry!
I’m tired of adults and parents thinking just cuz were kids we dont have a care in the world!
Just cuz I’m a kid doesn’t mean I’m some dumbass!
I know the dangers, I know about all of it!
I get stressed too! I’m human and parents think ‘OH YOURE A CHILD YOU HAVE NO STRESS, blah blah blah, you only have school to worry about blah!’ No fuck that!
We have stress too!
I can’t wait till I leave! If it weren’t for the fact I need money and aren’t old enough to get a job I’d be gone by now!
-Dark Angel
And lol for spelling errors damn iPod self correction!