Actually you will find that the boys will talk at the oddest times. My nephew used to paint intricate little figures for playing Dungeons and Dragons. He would be concentrating on painting a tiny face, and with his brow furrowed and eyes squinting, would talk about his relationship with his father. Learn to listen for these times and be ready to drop what you are doing and listen. These opportunities come without warning and generally in spite of anything you do to set them up.

One way I have found to get household chores done is to draw up a check list of fairly easy chores that need doing every week. I ask that one get done every night and apply that requirement to myself as well. My daughters can choose and I don't ride heard but the chores do accumulate. Miss one night and you have two to do the next night.

Also, we have a rule in our house that the cook doesn't do the dishes. This accomplishes two things. It prompts my daughters to learn to cook and it allows whoever cooks full latitude in making a mess. This is not an easy rule to maintain but we manage more often than not.

And, yes, you heard it right. I have daughters. Only one left at home (she's 17) but I have been through adolescence twice now and I fgure I've had it easy.

As Sinsull says, teenagers go where they feel welcome. Even your new son's friends can accept a few rules if they make sense. Many is the time I have come home to find six or more teens flaked out around my living room engaged in talking, playing video games, or watching movies. You'll go through a lot of food, endless beverages, and at the end, after he has moved on, you will never regret a penny spent for any of that.