You're the Worst Mom in the World!

photo by Repoort

If I ran the universe, I think I would rename the "teen years" the "tear years".  These years are full of physical, mental and emotional changes in you child. It is during these years that the ability to make you cry emerges in your child. Sometimes they use this newfound ability intentionally and sometimes it is used unintentionally. The other day, my son was outraged that I was making him do his homework before watching TV. He informed me that I was "the worst mother in the world". Upon seeing me become upset at his comment, he tried to lessen the sting by revising his comment to "Well, you are not the worst mom - you are just not the best mom in the world".

Misery loves company so I sought out other parents on the CafeMom social network to find out what hurtful words other parents were hearing from their teens. The familiar "I hate you", "you are ruining my life" and "you love everyone else more than me" seem to be quite popular.

One mom shared the mantra she uses when her child says hurtful things - "awesome! i raised an independent thinker who knows that i love them so much that I'm not going to kill them for saying that! they want their own life and this means that in all likelihood they will not live in my basement until they're 40. I'm a great mom!" I thought this was such an insightful way to think deeper beyond the surface level hurtful words.

As our teens explore boundaries and assert their independence, hurtful words will occur. Build a tough skin, try to think about deeper meanings beyond the surface level and hang in there. This phase will eventually pass.

Help other parents know they are not the only ones dealing with hurtful word. Leave a comment with what hurtful words you've heard from your teen.

Comments

[FXSmom]

When my children were toddlers my pediatrician said the best thing my kids could say was that they hated me. I was appalled. How could that be good?? He told me it was because that meant my child felt comfortable enough around me to express his emotions. So whenever my kids tell me that I suck...I smile inside :)

[Eleven 2 Seventeen]

I think there is a lot of truth in what the doctor said. It is sad to see kids keeping all of their feelings bottled up inside out of fear that their parents will stop loving them if they say the wrong thing. I think that can cause issues in the future when the child grows up.

Don't get me wrong - sometimes I still wish my son would keep things to himself..............or at least tone down the hurtful comments some.