How to Deal with a Teenage Child

mon and daughter

As your kid grows, from childhood into being a teenager and finally into adulthood, there are a number of changes that they will have to undergo ranging from both physical, emotional and psychological. To ensure that you not only get along with them but also help them develop in a positive manner, it is advisable that you not only develop empathy for them but also change your expectation about them because they are no longer children. Thus you should ensure that besides creating boundaries, you put in place structures that are safe and supportive in an endeavor to create a good environment for them. In this article, we are going to take a closer look, on some of the ways that one can effectively deal with teenagers.

Adjusting to their independence

stressed teen

The first thing that you should do to ensure that you get along with them properly is to adjust yourself properly so that you can fit into their independence. It is advisable that you start treating them like teens as opposed to either treating them like adults or children. Since a teen is no longer a child, it is asked upon you as a parent to make adjustments to your expectations and avoid at all cost treating them like children. Additionally, it is important to remember that they are not yet adults and thus they should not be strictly held responsible as full grown adults. The above is informed by the fact that the teens are not yet fully developed and hence their reasoning and decision making can at times can be influenced by impulse. This is why you are asked to always be prepared to put up with irrational behavior.


Allow them some freedom

As a parent, you are asked to be flexible with the freedom that you offer them. For instance, if your teen is making an effort towards being responsible, why not allow them some bit of freedom. But in the event that they are prone to making wrong choices then it is advisable that you become a bit restrictive with the freedom. What you are supposed to project here is that their decisions and the behavior that they show go a long way in determining the amount of freedom that they will be accorded.

Ensure adherence to rules and consequences

It is advisable that you make sure that the teens know the rules to be followed clearly and know the consequences that that will befall them in the event that they go against them. But while at it, it is important that you stay calm as an adult.

Trust vs. suspicion

teenage girlIt is important that as a guardian, you focus on developing trust with your teenage kid, as opposed to constantly suspecting them. All of us know that teens can do a lot of things that are troublesome, but experts advise that one should not focus a lot on the negative things that they have done in the past but instead try to build on the good experiences. Even though they have betrayed your trust before, it is important that you try to repair your trust as much as possible. Always ensure that you discuss all issues and sort out any unclear areas.