Hi ... A bit about me:   i have three kids aged 20, 18 and 16.  My ex and I still have regular family dinners with the kids, and sometimes the sum total of conversation is the kids reading out random stuff from Reddit, like the boy who will rate out of 10 the taste of anything eaten over rice.     I deal with parenting stress by talking to my friends and when I can, spending unstructured time on my own with absolutely nothing to do.   I've been raising my kids in a co-parenting arrangement with their dad for six years now, right through the teenage years, and somehow we've managed to make it work.  I'd be happy to support others if I could as it's the support of friends that gets you through.   My advice to parents whose kids are becoming teenagers is to sit and actively listen to what they say to you, listen carefully to their words cos as they get older they say less and less about their true feelings. Give them the chance to say what they think without interruption, cos they are learning how to express themselves like adults and it takes a long time to become good at it!  I wish I had been given that advice that sooner.   Best thing about weekends is sleeping in ... in my dreams that is :-)           ... View more