A period when children become more authoritative and assertive. It can really be energy draining facing challenges from our children. Most a times one feels helpless to help the situation. You will be more surprised at how a once receptive child turns into an unpredictable child. This is mostly caused as a result of the child’s craved for independence and wanting to live a life of his own. This could be frustrating as it is quite hard to help the situation as at the time it occurs.
Parenting children of different age comes with their specific demands, but it has been observed that parenting teenagers brings the most of challenges, because you will be trying to enforce parental guidance on them who had already developed their personal opinions about life. The child at times sees the guidance of the parents as abuse of child rights and finds it hard obeying parental guidance. For this reason, there comes a new view that encourages parents to limit their parental rules and regulations on these set of children so as to have their ways. This is to experiment the right of the child to be what he chooses to be while still ensuring that a slight boundary is established to keep them protected. This could really be challenging a times.
To cope with the challenges of parenting, teens will demand that you avoid the temptation to force rules on your teens. To them’ it could mean abuse even if it is for their personal good. The best thing to do in such a situation is to explain to the child the consequence attached to whatever bad decision they may end up making and suggest how to go about such decision in a way they won’t get affected if things turn out bad. With this, you will be seen as someone who is suggesting solution rather than someone who is enforcing his own opinion on others. The fact that you want the best for your children will enable you to direct them with love and care, making them to see you as someone they can follow his suggestions. This will always make run to you when faced with problems.
Teen challenges for parents actually lie on how parents handle the situation. Apply measures that will enable them see the good in your guidance rather than seeing you as hindrance to their life and opinions. This implies that you correct and support them with understanding. You ought to do this out of love as a parent. Having regular discussion with them is also a good way to start with. Try to find out what their challenges are in life and ask how they intend to overcome them. They will be free to discuss them with you. Look at how you can help them see the best way to overcome their personal challenges in life rather than making it looks like you are forcing your opinion on them. Doing that will hardly make them put up a resisting spirit. Do know that teens will put up a resisting spirit only when they notice a foul play in the way you correct and talk to them. Remember they want to be viewed as adults, so you must accord them that respect from their point of view. They want to be talked to with some respect and always want to be treated equally just like every other adult. You just have to understand that this is a phase every child do pass through in life. As they get older into adulthood, they will begin to see truth in most of the things you once told them.
“Child upbringing is a challenging thing for parents, but knowing the right way to handle the situation will enable you to cope better and see those challenges as temporary.”
