Ten Tips for Parents of Teens and Future Teens

10) Video your children now.  You will need the nostalgia when they're upset with you.  As an added bonus, you can bring up the videos in front of their peers or just suggest you might as a credible threat.

9) Remember when potty training was a  pain?  Remember when you hoped for the day you'd be able to be free of diapers? (I can't say I remember because I'm still in it).   It's preparation for the day you start training drivers.   It will take longer than you hope, and you'll spend the next few years after they master it, worrying when they go out into the world.

8) Kiss them good night, tell them you love them as they walk out the door and sometimes, surprise them with a bedtime story.  They'll appreciate it more than you know.  It also ensures all your conversations aren't nags --study your algebra, did you do the dishes? Why did you shoot ping pongs at your sister?   Plus, you might even get the rarest of moments, a genuine smile.

7) Just as you had to recognize, you would not get sleep until they slept, (And this is true with them as toddlers and college students),  you must accept the reality, you will never have enough food in the house.

6) That being said, feed the teens.  It helps them stay more friendly.

5) They may have phones and computers, emails and unlimited text messaging; they still won't come when they're called.

4) Never try to be cool.  You never will be.  You're mom.  The only thing that will make you more uncool than you already are, is if you try to be cool.

3) Every once in a while, throw a brush back pitch.  Feel free to beat them in card games, chess, Mario Brawl or Magic, but do it with a smile so they know...you love them, but you could have crushed their egos if you'd wanted...just a reminder to stop crowding the plate. (It is the closest you will come to being cool).

2) Cheering for your kids at their sports meets is a fun way to prove to the world you really support your children in their activities, and at the same time, embarrass them for life. Again, if you're not going to ever be cool, might as well work that uncoolness in your favor.

1)  They won't be teens forever.   You'll actually miss this time the same way you did the time when they were toddlers.