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I must admit, whilst raising my children, I dreaded their adolescent years.  Now I find myself in the thick of it.  My son is 16 and my daughter, 14. 

My daughter is very cheeky to me on occassions at home but has NEVER embarrassed me in front of others, not even my mother.  I accept it is her age and all that comes with it.  Also, I accept it that these 'verbal' skills will help her succeed in life.  I therefore encourage this from her and have found that the cheekiness has now leaned itself into debate which, sits comfortably with me.  However, she is still very respectful to other adults around her and I am very proud of of her.

My son, on the other hand is more easily lead and naive.  He is very funny and makes everyone laugh.  I have seen hardened men approaching me telling me what great company the young man is.  However, he has been frogmarched up my drive by the police on two occassions for shoplifting when he was 14.  I did not make a fuss of it although a friend on my husbands collared him and took him by the throat, telling him if he ever made his mother cry again he would give him two black eyes.  It worked.  I have not had a bit of trouble from him since.

Most teenagers will bring grief in one form or another.  I remember my mother half strangling me with her scarf when I was 15.  I was locked out and cold and broke into my house by throwing a brick through the window.  She came home from an 8 hour shift to that sight and we laugh at it today.

French children... I am often bowled over at their politeness in 'bonsoir-ing' in the street.  However, I must admit, I find many of them more immature than my children and have witnessed many boys (especially) bullying others.  Bullying is something very alien to me (thank God).  I have never known my children to bully or to be bullied. 

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Something I find wierd in France. As other people have said, you do see a lot of French parents who will smack their children at will, but on the other hand I see a lot of parents who seem to be frightened of upsetting their children at all. Parents who won't go into a 13 year old's bedroom without his express permission, parents who buy whatever the kids want, so many parents who wouldn't dare ask their children to help around the house. I think some of this causes the difference in maturity (that I have noticed too) mentioned by Just Katie.
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I was supposed to be going into Toulouse today to do some girly shopping[:)] 

I called a girly friend to see if she would like to come with me.  "Oh yes that would be nice, hang on though let me just check if it's okay with Nicolas" (her 10 year old son)  "Yes we'll come" 

I said that maybe he'd be bored in the womens shops and she said no he'll enjoy it.  Okay, I said a bit let down to be dragging a sulky 10 year old boy along on my very rare shopping trips to Toulouse - I'll pick you up at 9am I said.  "Oh no!  Nicolas needs to sleep until mid-day!"  So he is a vampire after all I thought[6] 

  I explained that I had to be back by 3pm and that if we left as late as that I wouldn't be able to do all the important things a girly does when shopping[:)].  "Oh hang on I'll see what he says.........no he doesn't want to come now -  never mind I won't come then"

Anyway 10 minutes later of me trying to get her to reason with her 10 year old and we came to a compromise of leaving at 11am!  I really don't understand parents who are dictated by their kids.  Surely it should be the other way around?[Www] 

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It sounds like your friend might have a real problem when her little son turns into a teenager, Twinkle!  While all relationships in the family need to be built on respect, young people need to know who is boss.  It was really hard (and I mean it) to institute thi truth in my own family but now that they are all teenagers (with one pre-teen) I can say we have a truly great relationship.

And I do agree that the French boys of my sons' age seem to be much more immature and somehow younger, even physically - even my boys remarked on that.  I wonder why that is?  Mind you, I can only comment on boys from a couple of villages that I know well - it might be all different in big cities, where they are all streetwise etc.

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I think you're right DZ - he behaved today though and I went to a smaller town in the afternoon on my own.

I was surprised to see some very nice bras and as any woman here in France can tell you you really have to try them on before buying as they vary in cut and size. 

I chose about 5 or 6 different ones and went into the changing room.  I hate the changing rooms here with only the curtain for 'protection'.  Anyway, outside I can hear a couple of little boys running back and forth and giggling wickedly and I started getting hot and bothered as you do in those horrible little cubicles.  By now I'm in my own bra and shielding myself with my t-shirt and wondering if I can risk whipping it off to try the new bras without being interrupted by the little demons outside.

I drop the t-shirt and unhook the miraculous engineering that enables me to walk and run everyday without keeling over - and I feel a mighty rush of cold air as the curtain is whooshed back to my horror by a 2ft goblin who's staring me right in the eye.  Behind him is his gormless 4 year old brother who is definately NOT looking me in the eye (God they start young!).  I also manage to catch sight of a bloke who's waiting for his wife outside the cubicle opposite me and his bottom jaw is almost touching his knee!  A lady in her 70's who's sitting on a chair is grinning at me like a mad woman.

In a split second which lasts an hour I whip back the cutain screaming "Non mais c'est pas vrai!".  The mother scolds them and then shouts into me "Oh ça va - ils ont pas fait exprès!"  I can't believe my ears and I think everyone else still can't  believe their eyes!!!

I know that Tresco and Missy and JK and Jay Jay are rolling on the floor laughing[:)]

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