Being a teenager can be bothersome - for you and for us. Heed this advice, look, listen and accept.

Just because you, the teenager, can’t afford something that you want (even if the parents do not feel that you should have it or need it in the first place) it doesn’t mean that parents can offer extended credit facilities. Extended credit facilities often mean a permanent loan that will never get paid back. Banks provide credit but they also provide legal representation to get their cash back at some stage in the future.

Life isn’t fair, nobody said it would be fair and I, as a parent, am not going to tell you that it’s fair. It wasn’t fair for me either when I was your age. If you really want to go and live with somebody else’s family, do it. It looks better over there, it might feel better when you’re there, but they don’t have you 24 hours a day and they won’t understand some of your distressing or odd habits like we do.

When you sneeze, use a tissue. When that mucus comes out of your nose it is not appropriate, no not appropriate, for you to wipe it on your sleeve or any other piece of clothing that you may be wearing. It is less appropriate to wipe it on the clothing of other people. Tissues are sold in shops and provided free of charge in this house for your use.

Get out of the habit of expecting everything to drop in your lap. Sometimes you have to work for things, sometimes ask politely for things and sometimes justify things. Accept it.

The teenager years will pass.