My son is 16 and has decided that he is an atheist. This does not bother me (we are Jewish and there are lots of Jewish atheists around).
The only problem is that while I observe some religious ritual, he tells me that what I am doing is irrelevant. He does not want to sit through any occasion which has a religious element to it, which is very challenging. I have tried to explain to him that he is simply being rude, but we are getting nowhere. He also keeps trying to get me to watch debates between atheists and theists (there are a lot of them on the internet), and to argue with me about religion.
We are not particularly pushy in our beliefs. In fact, I am quite sympathetic to him since I have had, and continue to have, many doubts. But a lot of the religious observance in our home is based on tradition and community, more than on belief, and he cannot seem to understand this.
If anyone out there is in the teenage years, I would be most interested in your input!
I'm not a teenager, but I suppose the answer you're looking for is that he is. Teens are notoriously self-centered. He probably doesn't understand your perspective, and that's why he's pushing you to see his. He may even think that you'll thank him for showing you the error of your past ways, and that the new, shared set of beliefs will bring you closer together.
Luckily, being a teenager is a temporary psychosis.
In the meantime, it wouldn't be inappropriate at all for you to impose limits on how much you're willing to discuss the subject, and ask him to agree to disagree.
