Cathy, I love my daughter to bits but when she comes home from Uni at holidays she can be a right pain. She arrives with all her washing, which I don’t mind doing but would like to be asked, and generally treats the place like a hotel coming and going at all hours with her friends. If I say anything she says I’m nagging or getting at her. She’s 19 and in her first year at Uni. Sometimes I count the days to the start of the new term. Aren’t I awful!
Katie, Stevenage, UK
CG: No, Katie, you’re not awful. Have you heard the maxim that teenagers are toddlers with hormones? Well, it’s true. You daughter has flexed her wings going off to university and fending for herself, but she needs to clip them a bit when at home. All children need boundaries, and teenagers (and young adults) are no exception. I suggest you have a heart to heart with your daughter and tell her how you feel. She should be mature enough to appreciate your perspective, and if she doesn’t then I suggest you explain the ground rules again.
