Most parents with a teen can relate to having a moody child. That's just how this stage is for a lot of us. While as parents we understand this, we still want to keep connected with our "kids" as they grow towards adulthood.

Note: I received product samples for review purpose. Any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

One way I found that works for me and my son is using humor. So when I first saw The Grumpy Octopus, I immediately started smiling and welcomed one into our home.

At first my son didn't understand why I wanted to have a plush octopus, but after a few days he learned. I tasked my Grumpy Octopus with keeping my son company and providing support....and also some humor for me.

So our Grumpy Octopus....

.....helped my son get dressed for school in the morning


.....helped my son with his homework


......helped my son with his science experiments


While The Grumpy Octopus looks like he wants to be left alone.....kinda like my teen son....what I think he really wants is some understanding....and an activity! Which I was happy to provide.

The result was my teen son started to be in a lighter mood. Moments in his day weren't always so serious. We could share a laugh over whatever activity our Grumpy Octopus did that day. Which easily led to a continued convo about other things that happened that day.

Connecting with teen isn't always straight forward or easy. But with a little creativity and maybe a Grumpy Octopus, teens and their parents can find new ways to communicate and share a laugh.

About The Grumpy Octopus

This 12-inch sourpuss octopus is an incredibly soft and huggable plushie, which provides a skin-friendly, comfortable cuddly feel for adults, kids, babies, and pets. Made from the highest-quality velboa, it measures 12" x 8" x 7.5".

Created by San Diegan Amr Ahmed, who was inspired to design a stuffed animal his little sister would love that was not commonplace. So he made the Grumpy Octopus and likened it to the iPhone's octopus emoji.

He also paid homage to the love of grumpy characters - Oscar the Grouch, Squidward, Grumpy the dwarf from Snow White, Diego the saber-tooth tiger from Ice Age, Ron Swanson from Parks and Rec, and the infamous Grumpy Cat!

The Grumpy Octopus is available on Amazon for $39.28.

Learn more - www.thegrumpyoctopus.com