Teenagers Myth and Reality

When you hear the words "teenagers" or "adolescents", what other terms come to your mind? "Rebellious," "secretive," "moody" or "self-centred"? Almost anything written about adolescents is likely to include these words. But are these really fair descriptions of the typical teenager? Do they spell trouble for teens and their families? Not necessarily. There have been many studies done on teens and their families. To a very large extent the research shows that many parents never …

…despair can make things worse. Mothers and fathers can help their teens by establishing what behaviour is or is not acceptable in the home. Decide what you really care about and put your energy into enforcing the rules that are really important. As for the rest, ignore what you can reasonably tolerate for the sake of your teen's growth. Otherwise, you will likely find yourself in continual confrontations that may end in a painful rift.