Parenting Advice on Teenagers

When we think of children, we think of little people. Teenagers are big people, sometimes taller than you are. This tends to change the parenting dynamic somewhat. It can feel more challenging to maintain your authority with a six foot, 180lb kid than it is with a 3 foot featherweight. (Actually, some people have a lot of trouble maintaining authority with tiny people too, but that’s another story.) Parents realize that they are running out of power as they raise their teenagers. Those with control issues feel particularly threatened. To a parent, a teenager is still very much a child—someone who is naïve, inexperienced, impulsive and lacking in good judgment. A parent still wants to protect his or her adolescent, even though the adolescent resists the “help.” This stage of parenting is tricky because the teenager is indeed part child and part adult. Parents have to walk a tight rope daily as they decide how to interact with these young people.

Please enjoy my articles about Teenagers. If you have any questions, please feel free to visit my Teenagers Forum.