Advice For Parenting Problem Teenagers – Avoiding “The Don’ts”

Sponsored Link

Advice For Parenting Problem Teenagers – Avoiding “The Don’ts”

Everyone who has ever parented a child to adulthood knows the truth of the old adage,

“parenting a teenager is like trying to nail gelatin to a tree.”

I am parenting my third teen and have lived the truth of this statement. I have to tell you, I have genuinely enjoyed parenting my teenagers, but there are some real no-no’s I have learned along the way which improved the odds of my teenager enjoyment.

If you are looking for advice for parenting problem teenagers, then you already know how tense things in your home.

So for those of you swimming in challenging teen waters, here are some scenarios you might want to avoid. Especially if your teen has already shown herself to be less then mature.

– Don’t go out of town for the weekend.

Not and leave your teen alone in your home. Not if you don’t want your house to be the weekend “party house”.

If your teenager has already cracked the trust relationship between the two of you, this is NOT the scenario to let him “prove” himself on. Sometimes a teen has no intention of challenging the family rules but a ‘friend’ talks him into it.

Your teen needs your guidance and wisdom, not a lack of boundaries.

– Don’t put her in charge of painting the house.

Or any other large and important project. That is simply a recipe for disaster and disappointment.

However, she does need to be involved in helping you conquer these large projects. How else will she learn household management, organizing a project, setting goals and subgoals, self-initiative, working within a budget, cooperating with a team, and the satisfaction of a job well done? And that’s just for starters.

What? Your surly teenager says he doesn’t WANT to be involved in these types of projects? You’re not listening to that whining, are you? Get him a copy of the children’s story “The Little Red Hen” and yes, read it together.

– Don’t give her your credit card.

I’m always surprised by the number of parents who stress over their problem teen’s behavior and then turn around and hand her their credit card because “it’s so much more convenient”.

Do you also find yelling, screaming and heartache convenient? Not to mention a ruined credit score?

Teenagers definitely need to learn fiscal responsibility, but starting out with a credit card (either yours or theirs) is not the way to go. Not if you are interested in sleeping nights.

– Don’t be surprised by anything they do.

This parenting tip directly relates to the adage at the beginning of this article. Teens, by their very nature are unpredictable, impulsive, and make regular errors in judgment.

So don’t be surprised by anything they do. And don’t be so naive as to think your teen has it all figured out. He doesn’t. He doesn’t even know what that would look like.

There is significant brain research that has shown that the teen brain is still developing, especially the regions that control impulsivity and judgment. (For more fascinating information on these studies, see http://pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/work/onereason.html.)

In a nutshell, our beloved teens are not finished growing yet! They need compassion…and boundaries. Understanding…and accountability. Hugs…and lots of listening as they process the complexities of growing up.

Set up family times that your teen will *want* to be a part of, even secretly. Invite, but don’t beg him to join you. Invite his friends. And when you get the chance, listen very carefully to what your teen has to say. Ask questions relating to issues that are important to your teen and then listen attentively and respectively to their answers. Believe me, your teen will take notice of your interest in him and that is irresistible over the long haul.

The best advice for parenting problem teenagers I can offer you is to remember YOU are the adult, not them. They need your perspective, wisdom, compassion, tough love and unfailing belief in them.

That’s how they know they can trust and respect you, and once your teen respects you, you will be able to enjoy being a parent again.

---

Colleen Langenfeld has been parenting for over 28 years and helps other moms enjoy mothering more at http://paintedgold.com . Visit her website and find more advice for parenting problem teenagers.

Related Videos :

• We Have A Real Problem Coming Elizabeth Warren head of the Congressional Oversight Panel

  Add me as a friend on Facebook! www.facebook.com Get DAILY GrowBy10 Updates on Twitter! twitter.com * The banks are still insolvent. * That little tweak to mark-to-market accounting a couple of months ago has allowed us all to plunge into deep denial. * Now that the banks are allowed to lie about what their toxic assets are worth, they' ll never sell them (because if they did they would

• One Love Playing For Change Song Around the World

  playingforchange.com – From the award-winning documentary, “Playing For Change Peace Through Music”, comes an incredible rendition of the legendary Bob Marley song “One Love” with Keb' Mo' and Manu Chao. This is the third video from the documentary and a follow up to the classic “Stand By Me” and the incredible “Don' t Worry.” Released in celebration of Bob Marley' s birthday on February 6th, this tribute to

• United For Neda by Mams Taylor Ft Dariush Sattar Morteza KamyR Friends

  United For Neda by Mams Taylor Ft. Dariush, Sattar, Morteza, KamyR, & Friends Mams Taylor produced and wrote the United For Neda song after he saw video footage of the young demonstrator shot and killed by the Basji during the Iranian crackdown in June. Shila Vosough, Justin Baldoni, and Mams produced the video. Justin also directed the video on a single day' s notice. Justin

• Instruction Manual for Life cc

  To watch in super-sharp high quality: www.youtube.com closed-captions in: — German [by Patrick Mchler, bCurious2 & Vasco] — Portuguese [by AcidZero] — Spanish [by ArmandoXIII] — Hebrew [by RoeyTNT] — Croation [by Mladen Culic] • • • • • For those critics who read this video as an ' attack' , or commentary on one specific religious/political/ideological group, a message: look deeper. For those

• Steve s Grammatical Observations 1 The Is is Epidemic

  Steve' s Grammatical Observations #1: The “Is-is” Epidemic michael vick dog fighting greenland melting oil spill grammatical redundancy methane emissions no ice in the arctic ice-free global warming torture exxon valdez murder anti depressants Cho Seung-Hui polar bears endangered list CCD bleaching oceans money problems… is-is “is is” grammar english corrections problems in society communications language media news human physical science social visual arts lessons ESL EFL text animation film “learn english” steve' s

advice, for, parenting, problem, teenagers