I am utterly amazed at the problems parents are having with children, teenagers in particular. When exactly did teenage children take control of parents. I resently heard of an experience with a 16 year old girl who fought hard to rebell by doing the usual, you know, drinking, smoking and staying out late. Do you know what the mother answer to this problem was, go live with your father or Grandparents.

What kind of a parent loses so much control over a child that shipping them out is a better alternative than fixing the problem by parenting. The sad thing is that this kid had been making the decisions from the age of 8 when she got to decide how long to stay with her father during the summer, when to go see her father for holidays, or most of all when not to.

The father has joint legal custody but the mother has sole physical custody. Living in a different state the father only had the right to the child for 30 days at a time when she was not in school. Now from time to time the child spent extended periods with the dad who for all intents and purposes used the time to bond as much as he could. But, thanks to a lack luster legal system that sides with the mother more often than not unless a father can prove a mother unfit, he had no say in anything as long as the kid came out each year when the visitation rules applied.

The thought that a 16 year old girl can make a decision this major is absurd. The mother needs to stand up to the child like the father did when he told her she was making a bad move. He told her that the idea of living with him over her mom was the way to go and also told her that if she was going to act like an adult, she had to do it all the time, not just when it might get her what she wanted.

PARENTS WHO ALLOW A CHILD THIS MUCH CONTROL OVER A SITUATION HAVE NOT BUSINESS BREEDING IN THE FIRST PLACE.

I am disgusted with the mother and hope that the men of America read this prior to getting into a marriage. Remember, if you have a child you have a responcibility to be an adult, not just sometimes, but in the worst of times. A kid might hate you for a day when you say no, but no is what needs to be said sometimes. Yes is easy, makes you their buddy. No is the hard answer, it is also the right answer certainly as often and yes is, if not more.

If you have a teenage child at home and you think they are able to make adult decisions, you are flat out wrong, stupid and will get what you are owed when the wrong decision is made by your child. Take the time to know your kids and to "NO" your kids. It is the right thing to do.