Parenting is hard right from the beginning, but parenting tweens and teens is unique in its way. Some days are harder than others. But you have to learn to laugh and find humor in all of the moments. These funny quotes for parents raising tweens and teens can help make this stage of life more enjoyable.
These funny quotes about parenting tweens and teens will not only make you laugh, but they will also remind you that you aren’t alone. Every parent struggles while raising teens, not just you.
Through all of the ups and downs, teens are a joy for parents. Just like with any stage of parenting, however, it comes with unique instances that only other parents of teens will understand.
20 Funny Quotes for Parents Who Are Bravely Raising Tweens and Teens
1. “When you’re a teenager, ‘No’ is a complete sentence.”
– Author unknown
Think about the number of times your teen has responded with that single word. It’s probably been enough for you to dread that sound, but your teen likely sees nothing wrong with it.
2. “Whatever emotional state you’re in while you’re parenting conveys more to your child than the content of what you’re doing with them, no matter how perfect your intervention looks “on paper.” In other words, to paraphrase Marshall McLuhan, “your emotional state is the message.”
Michael Y. Simon in the book The Approximate Parent: Discovering the Strategies that Work for Your Teenager
This is only funny because it’s something that parents forget while in the moment. You may find yourself feeling angry while asking your teen or tween why they are mad. It may be hard to admit that your teenager’s emotions reflect your own.
3. “Nobody ever feels they’re doing well with teenagers, he said. I think that’s kind of the point of them.”
-Written in the book After You by Jojo Moyes
Teens sure are unpredictable, but that is half the fun of raising them. As long as you are teaching them to be respectful and responsible, you’re on the right track. There’s no parenting handbook and all parents are figuring it out as they go.
4. “Sometimes I’m left with the distinct feeling that I am outnumbered by my only child.”
? Colleen Ferrary Bader
At this age, kids are full of life and energy. Add in the drama, emotions and everything else that comes with adolescence, and you’ll definitely feel outnumbered.
5. “Let me give you some advice here: People who want to have the sex talk with you will act the same way as people who want to murder you. First, they get you in their car, so they’re in control and you can’t escape. Then they drive you someplace in the middle of nowhere.”
? Flynn Meaney, The Boy Recession
This funny quote for parents is sure to make you laugh. There have been many times when this scene has played out on movies and in books.
Plus, in real life, this is the way many parents go about handling frank talks with their kids. For some reason, it’s always easier to talk while riding in the car together.
6. “I didn’t bring you up to speak as if your mouth were filled with sewage.”
? Diane Samuels, Kindertransport: A Drama
Some of the things that teens say are bad enough to make you cringe. You know that they know better, yet they may just do it anyway.
7. “If all else fails, try to get some sleep…whether you realize it or not, getting enough sleep can make it easier to solve problems, control your emotions, and cope with change.”
? Beverly K. Bachel in the book What Do You Really Want?: How to Set a Goal and Go for It!
This quote may be intended for the teenager, but it applies to the parents, too. As mentioned before, parenting teenagers can be challenging. All of your work to hold it together and show your teen how to be responsible in hard situations can take a toll on you, as well.
If you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed, you have to admit that you can effectively parent that way. Or, maybe you’ve just had enough and need to take a break before you freak out, too. Either way, sleeping it off will give you a little reset before heading back into the parenting game.
8. “Pearl glanced over her shoulder, in the universal reaction of all teenagers confronted by their parents in a public place.”
? Celeste Ng, Little Fires Everywhere
Too often, teens are embarrassed to be seen with their parents in public. This is even worse when they weren’t expecting it. If you ever have to confront your teen in public, you’ll likely notice them glance over their shoulder.
9. “The young always have the same problem – how to rebel and conform at the same time. They have now solved this by defying their parents and copying one another.”
– Quentin Crisp
Unfortunately for parents, this is all too true. Life would be easier for everyone if it was reversed and the adolescents chose to copy their parents instead.
10. “Welcome to being the parent of a teenager. Prepare for large amounts of eye-rolling, emotional outbursts, and thoughts of running away. And that’s just the parents!”
– Author unknown
Think back to the quote about going to sleep when necessary. This is the time for that. As the parent of a tween or teen, you’ll experience these feelings often, so just imagine how often your child is experiencing them.
11. “Teenagers. Everything is so apocalyptic.”
-Kami Garcia in Beautiful Creatures
The drama that comes along with adolescence is a bit excessive. It’s no wonder their emotions are all over the place when the seemingly endless drama is so intense. At times, it may seem like the scene is over things that will likely never happen.
12. “Adolescence is perhaps nature’s way of preparing parents to welcome the empty nest.”
– Author unknown
Once children reach this age, they’ll want to be out of the house more and more all the time. As the quote explains, maybe this stage of their life is merely preparing you for what’s to come.
13. “The best way to keep children at home is to make the home atmosphere pleasant, and let the air out of the tires.”
– Dorothy Parker
Let’s face it. A pleasant atmosphere is not enough to keep children at home all the time. They’re going to want to go out with friends and get away from home. Now, if you want to keep them at home, you may have to take more drastic measures.
14. “Adolescence is a period of rapid changes. Between the ages of 12 and 17, for example, a parent ages as much as 20 years.”
– Unknown author
Between the drama and the one-word answers, parents are spent at the end of each day. This will cause impossibly fast aging during that short number of years.
15. “Imagination is something that sits up with dad and mom the first time their teenager stays out late.”
– Anonymous
Think about how often you behave as if you are mad, but you are feeling some other type of emotion deep down inside. This is what it is like for parents the first time their teen missing curfew or asks permission to stay out a little later.
The parents’ imaginations run wild, causing anxiety, stress, and maybe even fear. Then, if the child indeed did miss curfew, this turns into anger and frustration. It’s a reminder that imagination isn’t left in childhood.
16. “Adolescence is the age at which children stop asking questions because they know all the answers.”
– Author unknown
If this were true, they wouldn’t make nearly as many mistakes as they do. Unfortunately, their so-called knowledge leads them to learn lessons the hard way.
17. “Bribes are the glue that kept the teenagers and parents connected for generations.”
– Gayle Forman
This quote may be one of the funniest because it is so true. Bribes seem to work on every age group, honestly.
18. “Mother Nature is providential. She gives us twelve years to develop a love for our children before turning them into teenagers.”
– William Galvin
That long-developed love is what gives parents the little bit of patience they do have during those difficult years.
19. “When your children are teenagers, it’s important to have a dog so that someone in the house is happy to see you.”
– Nora Ephron
Teens can seem so grumpy all the time, and it may leave their parents wondering what they did to offend the child. Get a dog so that you don’t spend too much time wondering if everyone in the house hates you.
20. “The best substitute for experience is being 16.”
– Raymond Duncan
Teenagers think they know everything, and the young age of 16 seems to be the peak of that knowledge.
Final Thoughts On Funny Quotes for Parents Dare to Raise Tweens and Teens
Parenting tweens and teens is a difficult task, but it is so worth all of the stress. Parents know deep down that having teenagers is a blessing, but it is so easy to get caught up in the negative aspects. Between the drama, emotions, and bad attitude, parents need a little laughter in their lives. These funny quotes for parents raising tweens and teens should help brighten the day.
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