Teen Independence Seeker Gifts

'Dad, when do I stop being a wholly owned susidiary of you and Mom?'

'So Kyle - have you considered the challenges of van driving?'

"My mom says I can start a rock band if I call it 'I Love My Mommy.' You in?"

"Yeah, you could say I've got mother issues....she told me I have to move out!"

'When played backwards these say terrible things like 'do your homework' and 'clean your room.''

"My parents said that until I find a job and move out they will not recognize me as a sentient being."

"Your mother and I think it's time you got a place of your own. We'd like a little time alone before we die."

"This is crazy! We've been here only 10 minutes, we've spent all our money, and we've got nothing to show for it!"

'More hair than brains.'

"All I ask is a chance to ruin my life in my own way."

'I'm trying to get my competence and my confidence in the same place.'

'What was the first music they ever said 'this isn't even music' about?'

Ethanol and foreign oil.

Whatever!

Having installed a hydraulically operated wall in their 25-year-old's bedroom...

"You have to let me make my own mistakes."

"To heck with a husband... just help me find a dependable electrician."

'You let me out. What I do when I'm out is my business.'

"I attempted to circumvent the traditional trappings of a teen furlough...but I was thwarted by my czar-ish parental unit."

'I want to go out of town so that I can become a fully independent person, but near enough so that I can bring my laundry home.'

'I find the best way to get them to grow up is to buy them a 1-way ticket to Europe, and let them work their way back.'

'16 years old and I already have a company car!'

'By the time I was your age , I'd already run away from home TWICE!'

The end of boardroom table establishes independence

My dad's doing flowers for a huge sweet 16 party. Everyone's invited except me! Who cares? It's probably some loser who couldn't get anyone to come over without going over the top. Thanks, Em! You know what's important. Plus! We'll figure out whose party it is and crash it! You're my spiritual guide.

Moses as a teenager

"And since when does being twenty-five and married and living in Dallas excuse you from a family meeting?"

"My son's a commonwealth - I give him money to be independent."

"Listen...Tonight I'll decide when I've had enough"

"I found this hidden under his mattress."

'Dad, I decided not to get a tattoo in the end. Like you, I got a piercing, instead.'

"Nothing personal - I'm through with the male brain."

A kid like me needs a dad like you! You know. Someone to post bail.

'The nightlife around here? Pretty boring if you ask me Dude: My parents are awake...'

"Remember, fall is just one of many reasons you shouldn't leave your mother to go live in California."