How many time do I hear from parents how their teen has become
someone they barely recognize? Their attitude. Their defiance. Their
blatant disrespect. Clearly they are rebellious and how are we supposed
to handle this?
Some great tips are here!
How to Handle Teenage Rebellion
Many parents with teenagers are well aware that raising a teen
presents a challenge. A teen’s attitude can fluctuate from being kind
and well-behaved to rude and rebellious in a matter of seconds. Many
want to know how to handle teenage rebellion, but several are unaware of
where to start. Continue reading to learn how to handle your teenager’s
rebellious stage and start establishing the role you’d like in their
life.
1. Listen
One thing that many parents have difficulty with is listening to their
teen. It’s crucial for both parent and teen to talk and share feelings
with one another. In order to communicate effectively,be aware of where
your child is coming from and what his/her mindset is. Listening cannot
only help our relationship, but also help identify issues that need to
be addressed.
2. Enforce Rules & Values
When teens are going through their rebellious period, they break rules.
This behavior can be improved by consistently letting your child know
what is expected of them. Eventually, behavior will improve. Aside from
enforcing rules, discussing values can also aid in improving behavior.
Values are a huge part of life and making your teen aware of them can
help them through their rebellion and throughout their entire life.
3. Allow Some Distance
Every teen is going to be in a bad mood every now and then. When this
occurs, parents need to give them some space. If your teen is neither
violent nor destructive, give them some privacy. There is nothing wrong
with giving them time to take a walk around the park alone or go in
their room and lock the door. Sometimes, a few minutes alone can calm a
teenager down.
4. Get to Know Teachers
Getting to know your teen’s teachers and developing a good relationship
with them can make it much easier, as well as make both yourself and
their teachers aware of behavior problems. This can help build a support
system for the child and yourself too.
5. Support Group
Although you may believe that your teen is the issue, there is always
room to work on yourself as a parent. A parent support group/parenting
classes can teach you how to improve your home environment and inform
you of better ways to handle your teen when the rebellion switches into
full gear. Bettering yourself as a parent can benefit your rebellious
teen significantly.
6. Family Counseling
Family counseling can help to address the underlying issues that led to
the rebellion. Every rebellious period stems from an underlying issue.
This can be anything from school to friends or yourself. Once the cause
of your teen’s bad behavior is addressed, a family counselor can then
give the family tips, strategies and skills to repair these issues.
Overall, leaning to handle teenage rebellion requires work, patience
and determination. Getting involved in their life without being invasive
is a great place to start. Aside from that, these tips should be very
helpful, because they have proven helpful to me time and again.
Contributor: Kim Richmonds likes to write about parenting & saving money at www.homeinsurance.org.
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