Pro Parenting Tip: Give Yourself a Break

I know how frustrating it can be when our teens act out or push us away.

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You try everything you can think of, yet nothing works.

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There are days you feel like a total failure as a parent.

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YOU'RE NOT!

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But there is information that can help you become a more effective one.

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There are reasons teens act the way they do.

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The teen brain is wired to seek autonomy and self-identity.

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The problem is most parents are never taught how the teen mind works and misread what’s going on with them.

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They see their fight for independence as being disrespectful.

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As a result, they double down their efforts to control them, which makes the situation worse rather than better.

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They get frustrated and angry and their teens read it as rejection and shaming.

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So, they fight back the only way they know how (unless they’ve been taught a better way)—and their parents read it as being defiant.

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The cycle spins out of control.

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I’ve found that once parents understand their teen’s behavior, learn to work with the way they’re wired rather than against it, and set boundaries and consequences the right way, life gets a whole lot easier for everyone.

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I know we’re all doing the best we can with the tools we have. So are our teens.

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THE BOTTOM LINE

You're not a failure, but there are tools to help you become more effective.