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Handling Teenage Behavioral Issues

It is probably safe to say that most parents dread raising kids during the teen years. It is a period that is difficult for both parents and teens. Some parents think that their teen will not go through any of the classic behavioral problems. However, some parents fail to understand that these years are a time of physical and cognitive change for children. The good news is that there are solutions out there for common teenage behavioral issues.

Staying Out Past Curfew– So, it is 10:00 p.m. and your teen was supposed to be home 30 minutes ago. They know what their curfew is but they decide to test their limits. So what can you do as a parent? Give them a little bit of a grace period to begin with. You can give them say a 10-minute grace period to account for things like traffic or losing track of time. If they stay out past that 10-minute grace period, instill consequences on them such as not going out with friends for two weeks. It is important that you make rules and enforce them or they will continue to break curfew and come home when they feel like it.

Swearing– Swearing is often something that is learned through modeling and is learned well before they hit their teen years. You need to firmly tell your child that swearing is inappropriate and if they continue to do it in front of you, there will be consequences handed out. One good idea is that if your child has a job, they must donate a quarter to the “swear jar” each time they are caught swearing in your presence.

Talking Back– Many teens get into the habit of being disrespectful to their parents and talking back. There are several reasons why they will talk back to their parents. These reasons include wanting to be sure that their voice is being heard or they just flat out have no respect for their parents. If the reason is that they want to be heard, try actively listening to them. If they are just plain disrespectful, there needs to be consequences involved.

Lying– Most of them  will lie because they don’t want to pay the consequences of doing something wrong and getting caught. They may not always be aware that lying is actually considered misbehaving. You need to stress to your teen that lying is not something that is appropriate to do and it is a behavior you will not condone or tolerate.