“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished by how much he had learned in 7 years.”

Mark Twain hit the nail on the head with that wise and funny quote. It’s a good reminder that adolescents invariably think their parents are clueless, uninformed, out-of-date and hopelessly dim. And it’s an even better reminder of why we need to stick to our guns and keep actively parenting, even when they roll their eyes and shake their heads in disgust.

If you do your part, the magical day will finally arrive when – believe it or not – you will hear similar words come out of the mouths of your own kids. Try not to faint when it happens.