How many parents have ever heard these words, “I hate you”. Being a parent raising two teenagers has really been a challenge at times. Let’s try to analyze what makes a teenager tick. As the term “tick” can mean like a time bomb, a lot of you know what I am saying.
First, we must realize that when most of us went to school things were different, very different. Today, peer pressure from other teens is very evident. By peer pressure I mean it is simply a term describing another group trying to change his or her habits, attitude, values, or morals. Sometimes teenagers don’t even realize they are changing until we notice at home that our kids are acting different. We must remember that not all peer pressure is negative, some can be positive if changing the person for the better. Peer pressure is sometimes one of the main reasons that leads to unhealthy habits as well as addictions like smoking, drinking as well as drug abuse. Teen pregnancy can also be cited by peer pressure to engage in sex at a early age. Enough about peer pressure, as you can see it is one of the main reason our children change.
Next we must discuss ways to deal with difficult teenagers. Sometimes as parents we need to listen to our teens and sometimes the reason we don’t listen is because we are just like them and the truth of the matter most teenagers today are much more like adults than we were at that age. Listen to their ideas and let them talk to you. You may not always agree with what their telling you, but wait until they get done telling you then you can tell them the way it should be. One big factor I believe in parent-teenager relationships is not getting angry. This is a reaction they expect from us and when we don’t show are anger it can lead to a more reasonable solution. Remember, if you loose your temper then this is what you are teaching them to do.
If you have noticed differences in your teens habits, school grades dropping, if interested in sports or other school activities and suddenly a loss of interest you may need additional help. If you have difficulty in getting your teen to do household chores or homework then you might need help. Other sign might be loss of self esteem or laziness.
I have a friend who wrote a book about how to deal with teen behavioral problems. His book is called “No-Nonsense Parenting For Today’s Teenager”-How to feel like a good parent even when your teenager hates you. Tired of your teenager lying to you, a simple solution to the problem. The best method to stop verbal abuse and overall rudeness. Also include are 25 sure fire ways to deal step parent relationships and foster parenting. I have special permission to allow access to this book on my blog page at Parenting Today’s Teenager.
Tags: difficult teens, parenting teenagers, peer pressure, rebellious teens