Morticia, I see that you are keeping a healthy sense of humor through this. I just hope the adolescent in question has one too, and that he is not too sensitive to being made fun of. Boys are probably just as sensitive as girls, but they tend to show it by getting angry instead of crying. Keep reminding yourself, in times of stress, that the boy who yells and swears is probably hurting inside the same way a girl would be if she were crying.

Also, boys are not comforted in the same way as girls. Instead of letting you hug him, he may say, "Leave me alone!" If he refuses to talk, and turns away from you when you think he should be talking, let him go - or at least give him time to get control of his emotions before you try talking to him again. You have to respect his desire to be in control of himself.

I wish I could give more advice, but I'm still figuring things out myself. (I have a son who's almost 14.)