Every phase of parenting feels like it’s the hardest. Everyone tells you that the newborn stage is hard. But then you have a toddler and think, this is way worse! And so on and so forth. But when you have a teenager, it’s a whole new world. Teenagers are more independent. They are getting ready to go out on their own and survive without you. And that is just about the most bittersweet feeling in the world. These parenting teenager quotes sum up what it’s like to have a teenager perfectly!
“Every day, in a hundred small ways, our children ask, ‘Do you see me? Do you hear me? Do I matter?’ This behavior often reflects our response.”
– L. R. Knost
It’s important that we make sure that our children feel acknowledged and important, from the time their born, as children, teens and even as adults!
“The point of parenting is not to have all the answers before we start out but instead to figure it out on the go as our children grow. Because as they do, so will we.”
– Bridgett Miller
Oftentimes, our children teach us more than we teach them! And even though teenagers might think they know everything, they still need our guidance and love.
“Take the time to listen to your teenagers. Believe what they tell you about themselves.”
If our teens feel like we listen to them and care what they have to say, they will feel more comfortable coming to us when it’s something really important or scary for them.
“Parents who don’t really listen to their children tend to have children who really don’t listen to their parents.”
– L. R. Knost
Children learn behavior through watching more than listening. They will mimic the adults in their life. If you don’t listen to them, odds are they will not listen to you either. Respect should always be mutual between parents and their children.
“If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders.”
– Abigail Van Buren
Giving kids appropriate amounts of responsibility is essential to them growing into responsible teenagers, and independent adults. Never miss an opportunity to let our child have some responsibility.
“At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child’s success is the positive involvement of parents.”
– Jane D. Hull
Nothing is more important to a child’s success than having supportive, loving parents who give helpful advice and set a good example.
“When you put faith, hope, and love together, you can raise positive kids in a negative world.”
– Zig Ziglar
This world can be a scary place, especially if your kids are surrounded by negativity and poor examples. To combat this, make sure to prioritize faith, hope, and love in their lives. Positivity can always flush out negativity.
“As parents, it’s not our job to toughen up our children to face a cruel and heartless world. It’s our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless.”
– L. R. Knost
We need to prepare our teens for the evil that is out there, but it’s even more important that we teach them that they have the power to lessen the evil in the world by being the best person they can be.
“Speak with your child as if they are the wisest, kindest, most beautiful humans on earth, for what they believe is what they will become.”
– Brooke Hampton
Parents become a teen’s inner voice. So how we talk to our children is important. If we talk to them in a way that makes them feel important, they will believe that they are.
“The moment you begin to actively discover the amazing personhood of your child, parenting starts to feel like less of a burden and more of an adventure.”
– Angela Pruess
There’s no other feeling like watching your child grow and learn new things. Each milestone is a bittersweet experience. As teens become more and more independent, it gets more exciting but also a little sad that they no longer need you as much.
“Things may seem really crazy and hard with your kids right now, but someday you’re going to miss this!”
– Amy Stasney
People always say, “You’ll miss this,” during those hard times when all you want is for a little break. But it’s true, you will miss the dependence your children has on you as they become a teenager and no longer ask for your help.
“I think the best thing we can do for our children is to allow them to do things for themselves, allow them to be strong, allow them to experience life on their own terms… let them be better people, let them believe more in themselves.”
It’s hard to find that line between hovering over your children and doing too much for them, and sitting back and not doing enough.
“When your children are teenagers, it’s important to have a dog so that someone in your house is happy to see you.”
-Nora Ephron
Teenagers are all emotions. So when their emotions are high, and they are stuck in their own little world, they can sometimes act out and not be the best to be around. But a dog will always be happy to see you!
“I constantly go between wanting you to be my baby forever and being excited about all the amazing things you’ll do in this life.”
Parenting is just one big mess of conflicting emotions and bittersweet experiences. And watching your child go from a baby to a toddler, to a young child, to a teenager, and eventually, an adult, is the most bittersweet feeling in the world.
“No one tells you that the hardest part of parenting is when your kids grow up.”
Every stage of parenting feels like it’s the hardest part, until you get to the next stage. Parenting really is hard, but any parent knows they would never take back the experience if given the option, because it’s also the most rewarding experience in the world.
“Don’t grow up too fast, Darling. Age is inevitable, but if you nurture a childlike heart, you’ll never ever grow old.”
– Beth Hoffman
Growing up physically doesn’t mean you have to grow up mentally. Yes, it’s important that a child matures and develops a sense of responsibility, but that doesn’t mean they can’t still have a childlike heart.
“The empty nest comes quickly. Do not squander your most precious privilege of participating in the lives of your children.”
You don’t realize just how much you enjoy having your children around all of the time until ther are gone. They call it empty nesters syndrome because it can truly make you feel empty and alone when your children leave.
“I would have given anything to keep them little. They outgrow us so much faster than we outgrow them.”
Most of the time, teens are ready to leave their parents and face the world on their own much before we are ready for them to leave us. It can be hard to cope with the change when you don’t feel ready.
“Nothing can shake our teen’s confidence more than being fed the notion that something’s wrong with them simply because they don’t measure up in our eyes.”
It’s important that parents are cautious with their words and body language, as they never want to make their kids feel as if they aren’t good enough. This will take a huge toll on their confidence and self-esteem.
“The scariest part of raising teenagers is remembering the stupid things you did as a teenager.”
-Whitney Fleming
No parent wants to think their teen is out there causing trouble or making choices they might regret later. But being a teenager is all about learning and growing, and they need to make mistakes to learn.
“I know I’m supposed to be preparing my teenager for life and all, but it’s hard when they already know everything.”
One thing that all parents can agree on is that teens think they know everything. It isn’t until they are adults that they realize they, in fact, did NOT know everything. That’s when they start calling their parents for advice.
“If we don’t shape our kids, they will be shaped by outside forces that don’t care what shape our kids are in.”
-Dr. Louise Hart
It’s a parent’s responsibility to help shape their child by guiding them, being their voice of reason, and creating a safe place to learn and grow. If parents don’t shape their kids, someone else will.
“I’ll see your toddler tantrum and raise you a teen that just had their phone taken away.”
Every stage of parenthood has its challenges, but parenting teens is especially challenging because they tend to be defiant and stubborn and think they are right all the time. That can be hard to combat with compassion and understanding.
“Parenting teens requires giving them enough space to make mistakes and instilling enough trust to know you’ll be there to catch them if they fall.”
Making mistakes is an essential part of learning and growing. Mistakes help us improve and become the best version of ourselves. We must make space for our teens to make mistakes and trust that they will come back to us after, and we can help them learn whatever lesson there is to learn from it.
“My teen really likes me; unless I ask them to do anything, give them advice of any kind, say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, or breathe the wrong way.”
Teens are sensitive. Their emotions are all over the place, and they are trying to adjust to the world as their own person, not just our child. They tend to be upset and react towards their parents because parents are safe people for kids to break down in front of. We are their safe place.
We hope you enjoyed these parenting teenager quotes. They do a great job of summing up what it’s like to have a teen at home. Be sure to share these with anyone you think might enjoy them, and feel free to comment below with any more quotes you would add to this list so that we can share them with our readers.
Kayla is the content creator over at motviationformom.com. She is a wife and mother who loves to share all of the tips, tricks, and life lessons that she has learned over the years with all of her readers. Her primary focus is on children’s education, motherhood, and healthy family relationships!
