Parents believe teenagers are the most difficult to raise at the age of 15 – due to pressure at school and their hormones

A study of 1,000 parents of teenagers found 75 per cent think the ages of 13-19 are the most challenging years of raising children, with 32 per cent admitting they were ‘unprepared’.
Coping with their mood swings is the most stressful thing about parenting a teenager (35 per cent), followed by helping them to make important life choices (32 per cent) and allowing them to make their own mistakes (31 per cent).
But nearly three in 10 found it difficult to help them through the anxiety of exams, with 29 per cent ‘shocked’ at the impact GCSEs and A-Levels had on their child’s stress levels.
Worryingly, 66 per cent of parents believe their child reached a point where they felt unable to cope with school, exams or the pressure on their education.
And 47 per cent think it affected their teen’s mental health, while 44 per cent believe it hit their confidence.
Stress also led to those teens who were feeling the pressure becoming more argumentative (37 per cent) or angry (36 per cent), while 32 per cent lost sleep.
A spokesperson for herbal remedies firm A.Vogel, which commissioned the study, said: “A lot is said about the stress of raising a newborn baby, but for many, the teenage years can be difficult and bring unexpected challenges.
“Parents have to try and guide their child through a stressful time of exams and learning to deal with new hormones, when their teen is also trying to learn who they are and wants more independence.”
The study also found 77 per cent of parents claim their teenager has had periods where they have felt stressed, with 82 per cent of those saying these worries were around their exams or education.
Getting good grades is the top school worry, according to 45 per cent of parents, along with remembering everything they revise