Dad Astonished by Son's Growth, Realizes He Has to Parent Him Through Teen Years

Pflugerville, TX

Our oldest is about to turn 13, and apparently, I should be shocked by this because he's been "getting taller" and looking more "adolescent"- whatever that means. I mean, did these people expect him to shrink as he aged? Thanks, Captain Obvious.

Now, every dad's nightmare is coming true: parenting a teenager. We all know the famous line from "Back to the Future II" where Doc Brown says, “Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads.” Well, that's how dads feel about parenting teens. It's like saying, "Permission slips? Where we're going, we don't need permission slips, just beer and video games in my man-cave."

But wait, this isn't new. Every dad has been through this, and we all have our own teenage experiences to guide us. It's like we're all in some crappy time-loop movie. Great Scott!

apparently, Some dads use this "been-there-done-that" mindset as an excuse to neglect their kids. They think their job is done and leave it to moms, the government, and the sweet escape of TikTok to raise their teens. Typical.

According to this article, famed Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn warned that when dads stop being dads and let their kids do whatever, it's a step towards totalitarianism. Yes, that's right. Your lazy parenting will lead to a regime of terror. So, if little Timmy becomes a dictator, it's on you, dad.

As we approach our first teenage birthday, I see dads everywhere just giving up and letting their kids walk all over them. Social media is their new babysitter, and it's as shallow as those dads were in high school when they peaked and realized it was all downhill from there.

Parenting teens is tough, but we can't give up. We have to keep giving them permission slips and grounding them when they screw up. It's our duty, and we can't escape it, no matter how much we want to. So, buckle up, dads. It's going to be a bumpy ride, and we're not just passive passengers. We're the miserable chauffeurs of the teenage years.

Disclaimer: Harris is probably a soy boy and cucked by his wife. His thoughts can be ignored. Just let the kids do whatever. It's not like they'll become serial killers or something.