Terrible teens

We resolve to be less strict than our parents but a liberal attitude may be found wanting with adolescents, who question rules and challenge boundaries, says Áilín Quinlan

YOU hear your words and do a double-take — you sounded like your mother.

We all do, once we have children, though we believe we’ll make better parents if we can avoid the ‘mistakes’ our mums and dads made with us. But consider the long-term implications of throwing the baby out with the bath water. A mother who feels her parents were too strict may tolerate a looser regime of more freedom and less accountability — but when her cute little children become teenagers, she may find it difficult to control them.