What does your teen do that makes you smile?

My oldest (13) sings in the shower.  Loudly.  She has no idea we can hear her even downstairs and I would never dream of telling her.  Puts a smile on my face every time.

My youngest isn't a teen yet at 11, but she makes me smile every day.  Still a kid and determined to stay one as long as she can.

I have a shower whistler. He's also a basement trumpet player.

It makes me smile when either of them are kind and loving with the dogs. They talk 'for' the dogs, with each dog having a unique sounding voice. We make up (what we think are) hilarious dialogues for our dogs.

My DD is 14 and it's been a rocky year with her. But you know she is a hard worker. She always puts effort into her school work and always does her chores and extra chores without complaining.

Leaving notes and text messages to communicate with me where he is going, shows me that even though he's 18, he has respect for me.

My daughter has less than stellar people skills but she has amazing pet skills. We have voices and ongoing dialogues with our pets as well. Does not cease to make me smile.

DS16 is the pied piper of little ones. They love him and he loves them. He holds the door for people. And adults have said they appreciate that he can hold a conversation with them.

I got a nice compliment for DD14 this week. My friend has a dd who is 12. Last year they were at our house and her parents spent a lot of time trying to get her to jump into the pool but she just wouldn't/couldn't do, fear was stopping her. My friend so appreciated the fact that my dd and another friend her age were trying to encourage her dd.

DD has been getting up and getting herself ready for school for quite some time. She is very quiet while she gets ready, so there are some days when I don't wake until I hear the bus pull up outside. She leaves notes often when I'm not up before she leaves, usually they are something silly, but it's very sweet.

She sings in the shower or just while she doing things in a room by herself. She is very much a dreamer and introspective.

She is very thoughtful towards me and DH. If she is out shopping, she will often make sure she picks something up for us. She is spending time with family in another town right now who took her shopping, she saw a few shirts marked down she thought I would like and picked out 2 for me. She made Easter baskets for us this year, and unbeknownst to me, because DH grew up so poor, it was the first time he had received anything other than candy for Easter. There were many items that were pretty specific to our tastes, I was surprised she pays such close attention to the preferences of her parents.

Chloe is 14. She is an only child and I think very spoilt (in a good way, if that's possible). She is caring and always respectful to others. She helped nurse my Nan last year before she passed away and as the 2nd eldest of 16 cousins, is very willing to help out with the younger ones.

These are all so sweet! My 14 yo DS does an Arnold Schwarzenegger impression that has me rolling on the floor every time. And 20 yo DS still calls me Mommy when he wants something from me. He doesn't even know that he does it!

In between teenage moodiness they can be sweet. DS (19) is at Uni now but when he comes home will come up to me at odd moments and tell me he needs to hug me because he doesn't do it enough now he's away. DD1 (16) sits in the kitchen while I cook to tell me all about her day with her legs swinging just like they did when she was 3, and DD2 (11) still shares all the details of her day on the walk back from school. She and her brother also tell dreadful puns!

My teenager ds2 is almost 17. I can't believe that. He is on the autism spectrum. He makes me smile when he ask me to still tuck him in. He will say, "Mama aren't you going to come tuck me in"? He doesn't call me mama normally but he does when he ask me to walk in his room, help him with covers, adjust his lights and say goodnight. When he finds an old stuffed animal for sale and he stares in their eyes because he so connects with it. When he laughs and acts silly when he knows he is pushing me.

My DS is 13, DD is 12. They can scrap like cats and dogs, let me tell you. But it tickles me when they're getting along, encouraging each other or discussing strategies for their XBOX games. It makes me think they really do like each other, deep down.

DS (16) had prom on Wednesday (end of senior school over here in the UK). He & his mates decided to go together as a group. They met up here, put up with us taking photos of them looking very dapper, then walked to the venue (it was so close, like 10 mins walk & they didn't want any "fuss"), although just for the last few yards, three of them rode together on a long board! I was so proud of how he looked & acted. But that's not what I came here to share.

They all came back here for the night. A group of teenage boys with pizza, doughnuts, sweets, pop etc crashing in my lounge...They were all still asleep when I left for work. When I came home I wasn't really sure what to expect, I was just happy when I pulled onto the drive & saw they'd remembered to open the curtains. What I found when I got in left me speechless: a note from ds saying "We woke up, tidied up, emptied the dishwasher & filled it up again. Leftovers are in the fridge. We've gone to play basketball but if you need me, call & I'll come straight home. P.S. We remembered to open the windows to air the lounge out" The house was spotless. How to make a mother happy!

Emma, age 15, cannot visit the bathroom without our cat "Baby" ... seriously, she looks around the house for the cat beforehand   

Leanne