Parenting is hard. We all hear that. But there are a lot of things about parenting that we never end up actually hearing, and are therefore utterly unprepared for!

When it comes to raising a teenage boy, life ends up being filled with constant surprises. We all know to expect big appetites,even bigger messes, new smells, and some deepened voices, but there’s so much to it that we’re never warned about.  This teenage bridge between boyhood and manhood is a time period where your child is turning into an adult and while you must help them do it, they must do much of it on their own.

What No One Told You About Raising Teenage Boys!

See this list for 46 of the things that no one ever tells you about parenting a teenage boy:

1. While you might be used to having conversations at the kitchen table or in coffee shops, expect the greatest ones to now happen while you’re both sitting in the car, staring forward at the road (1).
2. One day a girl is going to break his heart and you’ll want to hate her for it.
3. He’s probably going to be better at fixing your TV/computer/cell phone issues than you are.
4. He’ll eat his favorite food as much as he can, even if he throws up.
5. There is a lot of freedom in not having to worry about movie ratings like you used to.
6. You will actually be able to see yourself becoming best friends one day.
7. He will SLEEP for a LONG time.
8. He will count his facial hairs as they arrive.
9. He’s going to be desperate to grow up, but he’s also secretly afraid to.
10. Nothing lasts forever, not a mood, crush, or favorite (fill in the blank).
11. You are going to be the least cool person in his life, but also somehow the most beloved.
12. He’ll start talking about his childhood like it’s a thing from ancient history and soon so will you.
13. He will not wear his retainer (2).
14. Be prepared for him to overuse your data package dozens of times (or more?)
15. Also, he probably forgot there is a house phone, let alone how to use it.
16. He won’t outgrow hearing the story of when he was born.
17. He will start needing your permission to cry.
18. He is going to smell those open containers of alcohol.
19. He will love a good parlor trick (3).
20. He is human, believe it or not, and will need to be needed.
21. He will be bored, no matter what, all the time.
22. No matter how nice they are, he will be somewhat afraid to talk to his teachers.
23. You’re going to see him angry sometimes, and there will be reasons he can’t explain.
24. You’re going to love him so much more than you ever have every day.
25. He will still like cartoons.
26. He will make stupid decisions, and sometimes it will only take one to change everything.
27. You will find that he cares for you in unexpected ways.
28. His and his dad’s relationship might be somewhat rocky.
29. His relationship with his mom might get rocky for a while, too!
30. He’s going to end up wanting a bedroom lock.
31. You thought he was expensive as a toddler, but now you’ll find out what real expensive is!
32. He’ll go through a stage of having awkwardly long limbs.
33. He will constantly move: finger tapping, pen clicking, leg bouncing, etc.
34. He will love mom’s home cooking, always.
35. He enjoys that you saved all of his artwork and favorite baby toys.
36. Believe it or not, he can handle the truth.
37. Sometimes he will be treated poorly because of his age.
38. It doesn’t matter if he just finished eating, he’ll be hungry again.
39. He is loyal to his family.
40. He will injure himself just as much now as he did when he was younger.
41. While listening to other parents talking, you’ll find yourself wishing that potty training were your biggest concern.
42. He’s going to be really terrible at sharing his food.
43. He might say he “doesn’t care” when he’s actually afraid of his opinion getting shut down.
44. He’s already ending up being one of the greatest people you’ve ever met.
45. It’ll be somewhat unclear whether he’s lazy, forgetful, or both.
46. …you will realize that this is just the beginning.

Did we miss anything important? Comment below and let us know your experience of raising boys!

Parenting is an adventure. You never know just what is coming around the corner. But know you are doing a great job! Just reading posts like this so that you can be a more intentional parent shows that you are trying. Raising children is not for the weak heart!

How many of you are parents? Comment below the ages of your kids!

If you’re looking for more tips, tricks and strategies for parenting, be sure to explore the rest of our blog.

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