4 Challenges to Raising a Teenager

Let’s face it, raising teenagers can be pretty challenging. They have all the emotions of an adult but can’t entirely control them yet. As hormones run rampant, they’re also subject to mood swings, talking back, and generally questioning everything their parents tell them to do. Here are the four most significant challenges of raising teenagers and how to solve them.

Being Hooked To Their Phones

Teenagers were born into a world of mobile phones. They’ve never known anything other than being constantly connected. While you’d undoubtedly love to protect them by taking their phones away, why not consider limiting their screen time instead with a phone monitoring app? Particularly for younger teenagers, installing parental controls is the perfect way to let them stay in touch with their friends while keeping them safe at the same time. Spending family time away from your phones and setting some guidelines for yourself will ensure that your teenagers have a good example to follow.

Talking Back And Being Disrespectful

You might notice your previously angelic cherub is now a moody teenager and happy to talk back to you if they think you’ve done something unfair. By making it clear from the outset what the penalties are for being rude, you’ll create some straightforward guidelines that can be relied on repeatedly. Has your teenager sworn at you? Remove their privileges like time with friends, or the all-important screen time. Give them one warning then follow through if it doesn’t deter them.

Laziness And Lack Of Motivation

Teenagers may seem to be lazy or unmotivated at school or at home. When trying to engage with your teen, try to have an open conversation that isn’t accusatory or confrontational. Why are they feeling so unmotivated? Is there something else affecting them? Have an open chat and try and engage them in conversation. Try to find out what things they enjoy and get them involved in talking about or participating in that activity. Finally, remember that teenagers are still big kids that are growing. They’re genetically predisposed to sleep in late. So if they’re tired in the morning, it might be because they’re sleep-deprived.

Pushing The Boundaries

Is your teen suddenly staying out late with friends you don’t approve of? If you find your teen is breaking the rules and staying out late into the night, it’s time to set boundaries. Firstly, talk to your teen about what they’re doing, and see if you can have an honest and upfront conversation about what’s going on. Next, set some clear and consistent boundaries with your teen. Be firm with curfews, punishments, and also remember that to a certain extent, they’ll learn from making mistakes as a teen.

Don’t forget, you were a teen once. Whether you rebelled against your parents or not, it’s never the smoothest transition from child to almost-adult. Maintain clear communication channels, keep them safe with parental controls, and set clear and consistent boundaries, and your teen is sure to grow into a well-mannered, well-rounded adult

Thanks to Deny Smith