Parenting is full of challenges at every step of the way, but it is the teenage years that are often the trickiest and most emotional. It can be tough to see your once loving child become moody, distant, and start to pull away, but this is all part of growing up and perfectly natural. It can be challenging to manage as a parent during these years, though, so keep reading for advice that will hopefully help.
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The Challenges
There are many challenges that can arise once your child becomes a teen. The most notable challenge is that they will start to pull away from their families and either spend more time alone in their room or with friends. They might even become cold, lash out and/or pick fights.
In addition to your child pulling away from the family, you will also find that there are various other challenges that arise in their teen years. Peer pressure, cyberbullying, dating, alcohol consumption, truancy, and neglecting chores and responsibilities are all common. While these are challenging to manage, it is also important to remember that this is usually a phase that will pass and all a part of a teen growing up and finding their place in the world.
How To Manage
So, how can you manage this difficult time? It is all about finding the right balance as if you are too overbearing (helicopter parenting), they will never learn key skills and might lash out. If you are too passive, they will have no boundaries and their behavior could be extreme. This is why you need to have clear expectations, outline consequences of misbehaving, and always be consistent.
Practical Advice
It is important to have these clear expectations and boundaries, but you also need to let your teen go out into the world and lead their life. One smart step that many parents are taking right now is to give their teen a prepaid debit card, which allows them the freedom and independence to spend money while still allowing you to control their spending. This could also help them to develop smart financial habits, including avoiding impulsive purchasing.
Patience
It is also important to have patience during this time and to put yourself in their shoes – everyone remembers life as a teenager and how difficult it can be. You should try to communicate regularly without forcing it and try to find mutual activities and interests that you can enjoy together (this is likely to be something different from when they were a child).
Hopefully, this post will come in useful for any parent that has a teen and help you to manage during what can be a difficult time filled with mood swings, bad behavior, and a negative attitude. This is all perfectly natural, though, and will pass in time.
If you are interested in even more lifestyle-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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