100 parenting teenagers quotes to lighten the load

August 7, 2023

Welcome to the wild ride known as parenting teens! If you’ve ever found yourself caught between eye-rolling moments and heartwarming instances of wisdom, these quotes about parenting teenagers will definitely hit the spot.

Talk to any parent who has navigated the world of raising teens, and you’ll probably hear tales of high emotions, mood swings, frustration, and downright confusion. But you’ll also hear about the heartwarming, fun and often hilarious side of being a part of a young person’s journey into adulthood.

These parenting quotes on teenagers celebrate all of those experiences, with wise – and funny – words from many a writer who has been through it and lived to tell the tale.

From eye-opening gems that leave you in stitches, to profound words that reassure and restore your faith, this collection of quotes about parenting teenagers is here to remind you that you’re not alone in this journey. They might just help you keep your sanity intact too 😉

You can also use these parenting teenagers quotes on your social media posts. A thoughtful quote about teenagers might come in handy for greetings cards too.

Parenting teenagers quotes to inspire and support you

Let’s get started with some inspirational quotes about parenting teenagers and raising strong children.

“Even as kids reach adolescence, they need more than ever for us to watch over them. Adolescence is not about letting go. It’s about hanging on during a very bumpy ride.” – Ron Taffel

“Connecting with teenagers requires patience, empathy, and a genuine desire to understand their world.” – Janet Lehman

“The best way to raise positive children in a negative world is to have positive parents who love them unconditionally and serve as excellent role models.” – Zig Ziglar

“Whatever emotional state you’re in while you’re parenting conveys more to your child than the content of what you’re doing with them, no matter how perfect your intervention looks “on paper.” In other words, to paraphrase Marshall McLuhan, “your emotional state is the message.” – Michael Y. Simon

“Parenting a teenager is like trying to fold a fitted sheet – it’s complicated and often frustrating.” – Jen Hatmaker

“The most important part of the human brain–the place where actions are weighed, situations judged, and decisions made–is right behind the forehead, in the frontal lobes. This is the last part of the brain to develop, and that is why you need to be your teens’ frontal lobes until their brains are fully wired and hooked up and ready to go on their own.” – Dr. Frances Jensen

“The best way to parent a teenager is by being a good listener before being a good advisor.” – Rachel Simmons

“If you want to have a more pleasant, cooperative teenager, be a more understanding, empathetic, consistent, loving parent.” – Stephen Covey

“There’s no such thing as a ‘bad kid’–just angry, hurt, tired, scared, confused, impulsive ones expressing their feelings and needs the only way they know how. We owe it to every single one of them to always remember that.” – Dr. Jessica Stephens

“Teenagers need love, understanding, and boundaries, even if they act like they don’t.” – Unknown

mother and teenage daughter looking at a book

More inspiring quotes for parents of teenagers

“Parenting a teenager is a crash course in patience, humility, and personal growth.” – William Cory Stanley

“When you approach your teenager with curiosity and empathy, you open the doors of connection.” – Laura Kastner

“Parenting a teenager is like trying to hold on to a roller coaster with no seatbelt.” – unknown

“Teenagers have a knack for pushing your buttons, but it’s your responsibility not to let them control the remote.” – Josh Shipp

“Teens push boundaries because their lives are so confusing. They want to know what will hold fast. The only way to find out is to push.” – Kathleen Bauer

“If we don’t shape our kids, they will be shaped by outside forces that don’t care what shape our kids are in.” – Dr. Louise Hart

“The toddler must say no in order to find out who she is. The adolescent says no to assert who she is not.” – Louise J. Kaplan

“Raising a teenager is like planting a garden – it takes time, patience, and nurturing.” – unknown More garden quotes here

“The question isn’t so much “Are you parenting the right way?” as it is: “Are you the adult that you want your child to grow up to be?” – Brené Brown

“When parenting teens, we let go to hold on, and watch as our babies start to take flight. It may not be the route you suggested, but take comfort in knowing you taught them to fly.” – Whitney Fleming

father and teenage daughter looking at a smartphone

Funny quotes about being parents of a teenager

Let’s face it, being a good parent of teenagers is often a challenge, and there will probably be hard days. These best parenting quotes will lighten the mood and hopefully help you get a little perspective when times are tough.

“Adolescence is a period of rapid changes. Between the ages of 12 and 17, for example, a parent ages as much as 20 years.” – Al Bernstein

“Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-o to a tree.” – unknown

“Your modern teenager is not about to listen to advice from an old person, defined as a person who remembers when there was no Velcro.” – Dave Barry

“Nobody understands anyone 18, including those who are 18.” – Jim Bishop

“Teenagers are like a fine wine – they get better with age, but they might cause a few headaches along the way.” – unknown

“When your children are teenagers, it’s important to have a dog so that someone in the house is happy to see you.” – Nora Ephron

“Teenagers are like atoms: full of energy, but unstable.” -unknown

“Parenting: Nobody really wants the job, but everybody thinks they can do better.” – Bruce Lansky

“Mother Nature is providential. She gives us twelve years to develop a love for our children before turning them into teenagers.” – William Galvin

“Teenagers who are never required to vacuum are living in one.” – Fred G. Gosman

“The best way to keep children at home is to make the home atmosphere pleasant, and let the air out of the tires.” – Dorothy Parker

“If you want to get closer to God drive in the passenger seat with a teenage driver. You’ll be reciting prayers you haven’t said in years. “ – unknown

“Raising teenagers is like being a coach, cheerleader, and referee all at once.” – unknown

More funny parenting teenagers quotes

Here are a few more opportunities for a good laugh on the parenting teens theme.

“Teenagers complain there’s nothing to do, then stay out all night doing it.” – Bob Phillips

“The problem with disciplining a teenager is that in no time at all you begin to sound like one yourself.” – unknown

“Telling a teenager the facts of life is like giving a fish a bath.” – Arnold H. Glasow

“A teenager is always too tired to hold a dishcloth, but never too tired to hold a phone.” – unknown

“The scariest part of raising teenagers is remembering the stupid things you did as a teenager.” – Whitney Fleming

“Imagination is something that sits up with mum and dad the first time their teenager stays out late.” – unknown

“Teenagers: teaching us that patience truly is a virtue.” – unknown

“I know I’m supposed to be preparing my teenager for life and all, but it’s hard when they already know everything…” – Whitney Fleming

“My kid is turning out just like me. Well played, karma. Well-played.” – unknown

“Teenagers are like the moon; they go through phases.” – Unknown

“Parenting teenagers requires the agility of a ninja, the patience of a saint, and the sense of humour of a stand-up comedian.” – unknown

“You try your hardest to raise your teenagers with patience, honesty and good manners, but they still end up being like you.” – unknown

“Welcome to being the parent of a teenager. Prepare for large amounts of eye-rolling, emotional outbursts, and thoughts of running away. And that’s just the parents!” – unknown

Heartwarming and insightful quotes about parenting teenagers

It’s not all hard times for parents of teens; there are many wonderful moments too. These quotes will help you celebrate all that’s good about having a teenager in your life.

“Adolescents are not monsters. They are just people trying to learn how to make it among the adults in the world, who are probably not so sure themselves.” – Virginia Satir

“I may deserve your disappointment as well as a lecture, but what I need is your understanding, your guidance, and your unconditional love.” – Richelle E. Goodrich

“The hardest part of parenting a teenager is knowing when to let go and when to hold on tighter.” – Michelle Gardner

“Kids don’t stay with you if you do it right. It’s the one job where the better you are the more surely you won’t be needed in the long run.” – Barbara Kingsolver

“ I thought I used to ‘worry’ a lot when my kids were little. Then I had teenagers. You know what I would give right now to worry about nap times and sippy cups? Everything.” – Melissa Fenton

“Letting go of your kids is not just them physically moving away from you. Sometimes it’s letting go of expectations or aspirations or even dreams you have for them. It’s letting go of the control of their choices. It’s letting go of your heart while trying to hold onto your values. And when I let go, I hope an even more beautiful life will come to fruition for my kids than what I could have ever imagined.” – Whitney Fleming

“To all those mothers and fathers who are struggling with teen-agers, I say, just be patient: even though it looks like you can’t do anything right for a number of years, parents become popular again when kids reach 20.” – Marian Wright Edelman

“Give yourself permission to believe that your kid is really awesome and at the same time capable of making a bad decision. It’s okay to feel both.” – Whitney Fleming

mother and teenage daughter sitting on a sofa laughing

Lovely parenting teenagers quotes

“You will never have this day with your teenagers again. Tomorrow they will be a little older than they were today. Just breathe, notice their faces, pay attention. it will be over before you know it.” – unknown

“The rewards of parenting teenagers come in the form of witnessing their growth, resilience, and achievements.” – Deborah A. Beasley

“Teenagers: the only people who can simultaneously break your heart and fill it with pride.” – unknown

“The joy of parenthood is witnessing your child blossom into their true self.” – Megan McCafferty

“Teenagers may not always listen to you, but they are always watching and learning from you.” – Cathy Shaffer

“Letting your kids grow up is kind of like releasing a kite. You hate to see it go, but it looks so beautiful and free as it climbs higher and higher in the bright blue sky.” – Susan Gale

“Connecting with teenagers is not about being their friend; it’s about being a loving, supportive guide.” – Vicki Hoefle

“You will teach them to fly, but they will not fly your flight. You will teach them to dream, but they will not dream your dream. You will teach them to live, but they will not live your life. Nevertheless, in every flight, in every life, in every dream, the print of the way you taught them will remain.” – Mother Teresa

“Dear Teenagers: We may annoy you, lecture you, embarrass you, drive you crazy and even make you hate us some days. But NO ONE will ever love you like we do.” – unknown

Short parenting teenagers quotes

Sometimes a few words can say it all.

“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Teenagers: challenging today, but shaping tomorrow.” – unknown

“Bribes are the glue that kept the teenagers and the parents connected for generations.” – Gayle Forman

“Parenting: the days are long but the years are short.” – unknown

“The funny thing about kids is, they are the reason we lose it and the reason we hold it together.” – unknown

“Encourage and support your kids because children are apt to live up to what you believe of them.” – Lady Bird Johnson

“… responding with anger does not help your teenager see themselves. It only helps them to see you in a very bad light.” – Kenneth Wilgus

“When you’re a teenager, ‘No’ is a complete sentence.” – unknown

“They outgrow us so much faster than we outgrow them.” -Jodi Picoult

“Adolescence is perhaps nature’s way of preparing parents to welcome the empty nest.” – Karen Savage

“All kids need is a little help, a little hope, and someone who believes in them.” – Magic Johnson

“Teenagers: learning to let go while holding on.” – unknown

“If you want your children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others.” – Haim Ginott

“One of the greatest gifts you can give your teenager is the gift of letting them know you get it. You’ve been there.” – unknown

“Parenting teenagers is like trying to herd cats during a thunderstorm.” – unknown

“The absolute best way to raise kind kids, is to be kind parents.” – Galit Breen

“The main problem with teenagers is that they’re just like their parents were at their age.” – unknown

“Teenagers. Everything is so apocalyptic.” – Kami Garcia

“It’s like no one in my family appreciates that I stayed up all night overthinking for them.” – unknown

“Teenagers: helping us rediscover our own youth while guiding theirs.” – unknown

“Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not ok, it’s not the end.” – John Lennon

More inspirational parenting quotes

“Sometimes I’m left with the distinct feeling that I am outnumbered by my only child.” – Colleen Ferrary Bader

“Parenting a teenager means seeing the world through their eyes while guiding them towards their own vision.” – Alison Gopnik

“Teenagers test your patience and resilience, but they also test your capacity for unconditional love.” – Laura Markham

“To an adolescent, there is nothing in the world more embarrassing than a parent.” – Dave Barry

““Our go-to as parents is to make everything better. We want to flip on the lights. But our job is to teach our kids that it is okay to be sad and to sit in the dark with them.” – Brené Brown

“Raising a teenager is hard… But, being a teenager is hard, too, which is why our kids need someone they trust to lean on, to come to for advice, and to share their lives – the good, the bad and the ugly.” – Raising Teens Today

“The young always have the same problem — how to rebel and conform at the same time. They have now solved this by defying their parents and copying one another.” – Quentin Crisp

Even more famous quotes about teenagers

“For generation after generation, teens have been criticized for everything from how they dress and the music they like to play to boundaries they push and the causes they champion. Isn’t it time we finally let go of some of the tired teen stereotypes that we recycle over and over again?” – Kira Lewis

“No matter how good you are, at some point your kids are gonna have to create their own independence and think that Mom and Dad aren’t cool, just to establish themselves. That’s what adolescence is about. They’re gonna go through that no matter what.” – Eddie Vedder

“In the end, it’s not about perfect parenting. It’s about building a strong connection with your teenager.” – Janine De Tillio Cammarata

“Conscious parenting is not about being perfect, it’s about being aware. Aware of what your kids need from you to reach more of their full potential.” – Alex Urbina

“When your teen has a hard day, don’t ask if they want to talk about it–because most of the time they won’t. Instead, ask if they want a snack, go for a cup of coffee, take a walk, or watch a movie. We often can’t fix our big kids’ problems, but we can always be available to listen and show we care.” – Whitney Fleming

“Children, even infants, are capable of sympathy. But only after adolescence are we capable of compassion.” – Louise J. Kaplan

“Nobody ever feels they’re doing well with teenagers, he said, I think that’s kind of the point of them.” – Jojo Moyes

“The greatest gift a parent can leave a child is that parent’s own independence.” – Rosamund Pilcher

We hope these raising a teenager quotes help you to navigate the challenging world of parenting teenagers. You’re not just raising teenagers; you’re nurturing future adults, sculpting characters, and building connections that will stand the test of time. Remember, laughter is your ally, inspiration is your guide, and sanity is sometimes just a deep breath away!

Great books about parenting teens

None of us are going to be a perfect parent all the time, but there are lots of books out there to help all family members. Here are some great resources to support your parenting – and also your teens: