I dreaded raising 5 teens under one roof. Then they all started becoming people I'd love to hang out with.
A parent shares her positive experience raising five teenagers, noting that the challenges are balanced by the joy of watching them grow into interesting young adults. She argues that the negative reputation of the teenage years is often overstated.
Why it matters
It provides a relatable, human-interest perspective on parenting that challenges common cultural tropes about the difficulty of the teenage years.
The author (not pictured) said she's enjoying parenting during the teen years more than she expected to. RealPeopleGroup/Getty Images Teens and tweens have a bad reputation, and some of it is deserved. But there's another side to parenting teens that people don't often share. I love seeing the people they are becoming and hanging out with kids I truly enjoy being around. Think raising one teenager is difficult? Imagine living with five. That's where I'll be in two years' time when my youngest two join their older siblings in the dreaded teenage years . But you know what? I'm looking forward to it more than you'd think. Teens get a bad rap I get it. Teenagers have a bad reputation, and raising them can be challenging. But stand by for a controversial opinion: living with teens can also be a lot of fun.
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