I think I need to thank my parents. It’s not that they have done anything unusual or unexpected recently, but that old adage about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes is suddenly ringing true for me.

Until this month, I had no idea what raising children was like. I have a two-year-old son, and since he was born he has been the light of my life, but this month, I got to experience an entirely new side of parenting – raising teenagers.

This year, my husband and I invited our nearly-teenage niece to come and live with us. I knew that this task wouldn’t come easy, but since, as I keep telling myself, it hasn’t been that long since I was also a teenage girl, I assumed I would have a little insight and be prepared to handle the task at hand.