Parenting

That’s a tough place to be. And on behalf of someone who was like this, I’m sorry.

There’s really no way to win here. Your son doesn’t want you to be the cool mom, but at the same time, he doesn’t want you to be cold or mean. You’re dealing with an irrational person who doesn’t know what they want from their mom.

The best you can do is to keep trying but expect rejection most times. Don’t overdo it, but don’t stop either. I think you have good motives, and your son probably realizes it too, but you’re dealing with chemical hormones right now and there’s no real ways to beat it except patience and waiting.

I’m sorry, it’s a hard place to be and I’m remembering how I was towards my mom during that time.

I agree with the other person here. I don’t think you need to abide by your son’s rules like telling you to stay in your room. No, you still need to be the mother and be firm especially because kids get into some bad things and sometimes you need to know when your son is hanging with the wrong crowd. Not that you need to hover over them in his room, but you should be able to be in the kitchen or living room. He still needs to respect you and that’s not irrational to expect that for yourself.