Teenager Issues

Dear Universe,

Would it be too much to ask you speed up time. I just need to skip the next year and a half. Then the boy will be legal and no longer my problem. Yes I know I will never stop being his mother, but at least in the eyes of the legal and educational systems I will not be held resposible for his behavior.

He has missed his curfew 3 of the last 4 nights and he doesn't see a problem with it. He thinks they won't come after him. They probably won't, but they could. He doesn't think they will hold us responsible, but they will.

I tried to explain all this to him and it quickly degenerated in to a fight. it always does when I don't cave and give him his way. He has no ability to see that I have responsibilites other then just him and his needs. He got pissy with me becuase I wouldn't do something he wanted done immediately.

I told him I would not do it today because I wanted to discuss it with his father first. He doesn't see why I need to do that. Hello, the kid knows I do not make these kinds of decisions without consulting his father first. He says he is not a kid, but he doesn't even understand the basic concept of respect and responsibility.

He thinks he is being responsible as long as he is doing the bare minimum of what is required of him. If he thinks something is stupid or unimportant to him then everyone else should just fall in line with him. I tried so hard to stay calm and patiently explain things to him, it didn't work.

He also doesn't seem to get the fact that with his history of lying to his father and I why we don't believe him or trust him. The kid robbed us for god's sake. We have to keep everything of value locked up or he takes it. He seems to think he entitled to it. I don't understand this concept. We did not teach him that. Quite the opposite as a matter of fact. We have always stressed the need to get a good education, we have made available the best schools and as many experiences as we could. He takes advantage of none of it.

As for the legal problems, well, who intentionally raises their kid to be a delinquent? Not us, we are law abiding citizens and are terribly disappointed with his actions. Still we have been supportive and encouraging in trying to get him to step up and face his actions. He thinks he has even though he has continuously broken several basic rules of his probation. He thinks those are stupid rules so he is just going to ignore them. How do explain to a kid that that won't work out well. He gets mad if I even say that I have more life experience then he does and am a little more qualified to judge then he is. I'm at my wits end with him and just don't know what else to do.

Love,
Lolita Lilyflower