I have a 15-year-old. The toughest was the last few years, but I see maturity and stability setting in over the last few months.

Twenty years ago, I worked as a substitute teacher for a while, covering 7th - 11th grade, the 7th and 8th graders were the ones with the most chaotic behaviour and the 9th graders (my son's age) were more even-tempered and laid back, a trend that carried on in the 10th and 11th graders. It seems to mesh well with my experience with my own spawn.

That said, if discipline isn't established and consistent, then any age can be chaotic.

I don't know. My suggestion is to make sure you bring up the children well from birth until 12. They will want to find their way in their teeange years, but hopefully the foundation is there. To me, it's like raising a dog. The dg needs obedience training by age one. After that, it should be easy. If you didn't do anything until the dog is 2 or 3, it's just much harder. Same with kids.

My daughter dropped out of high school when I was in the hospital fighting cancer at 17. We were in counseling at 15.

26 !!

I do not have children on my own yet, but relating to myself - the worst period was 11-13 , when puberty hit me. I have ever been a defiant child, but at that point I sort of got defiant in a wrong way. Anyway... my parents were understanding enough to let me deal with it. By mid 14 I was pretty much fine. Yet to some degree, being 33 now, I still feel like being a teenager now and then...

Nine months of pregnancy to 3.5 after that he was a breeze. I would listen to friends and coworkers complain about their teenagers, but mine was pretty much perfect. I never had a moments stress about him.

From 11 to 18. made me believe that military school was not such a bad idea. We all survived, more or less undamaged. Hang in there, parents.

Their teens I’d wondered if there wasn’t a biological drive to distance themselves from their parents. And, after hearing one thing from ‘their dad’ for life, then nearly the exact opposite from ‘everyone else,’ mine began to doubt, which may also be appropriate..

Hang in there, be their rock - and they will return, stronger for having experienced some of what you’d warned them of. Mine have, it’s beautiful, and we’re continuing to build

Ugh. I have 14 year old twins. I don't know what the worst age is, but I am hoping we are in it. I swear it was like a switch flipped when they were 13 and I have yet to figure out how to turn it off.

Age 15 seemed to be a real hurdle when I was raising my sons. My older son and I clashed quite a bit when he was that age. Sibngle parenting teenagers is a trip anyway. How do kids of an atheist rebel? They go to church. I'm happy to say that my adult sons are well-adjusted atheists now.

I would say 15, but am certain it iis related to puberty and so different for each child. My daughter was a late bloomer so was 15. My foster son who had lived with my previously fell out totally with his parents so came to live with me solely at 14 and had nothign to do with either parent for some years. These years were rough.

I never rebelled, and in fact was more earnest and religious than my own missionary parents were.

My son started talking back and being rude when he was still in diapers (he later tested at 160 IQ), acting like he hoped he'd been adopted.

My daughter stayed nice until middle school, then began defying me, doing drugs, running off with friends after her dad left us.

It depends on the person I think. My youngest daughter was horrible between 16-18. My oldest daughter was a breeze. My son probably was 13-14, just Stoopid at that age.