It's a gene thing.

[lurker]

SHAMELESSLY STOLEN from another board:

Teens are a-holes for a reason. It's a genetic thing. When we hit our teen age the gene kicks in and we become an a-hole. Then it goes dormant for a period of time and it activates again and once more we become a-holes. The second time it's activated by exposure to a newer version of the same gene.

There's a good reason for this. If we didn't have that gene kids would never be allowed to grow up. Their parents would keep them around forever. That isn't good for the kids, hence the need for the a-hole gene in the first place.

When I see someone dressed to tick me off, listening to music that irritates me beyond measure or behaving disrespectful to adults, I don't see a teen challenging me. Instead, I see the a-hole gene doing a good thing. I just wished my a-hole gene could go back into dormancy.