How do you deal with troubled teens?

1. 55

   marbroscottposted 12 years ago

   Dealing with teens can be demanding. When they become a certain age they begin to act out. How in the world can a parent deal with a teen without becoming insane?

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2. 61

   SomewayOuttaHereposted 12 years ago

   ...communication is key and consistency/good routine (as much as possible) - always...troubled? they are not necessarily troubled..some are, some aren't....they are going through changes...how's the homelife?

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   1. 55

      marbroscottposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I hear this a lot.  Majority of the time I hear this from people who have never deal with a troubled teen or dont have a child.  Raising children is a hard job. I have five ages 19, 18, 17, 15, and 14.  I am dealing with all kinds of personalities. I have to deal with them individually and carefully,  so jealousy wouldn't be an issue.
      
      I always stress the importants of education to my children.   My two older childrens graduated from high school.  So I suppose I haven't done such a bad job.

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3. 82

   tlpoagueposted 12 years ago

   That depends on what the teen is doing to drive you nuts. Do they have free reign of the house? Are they ignoring their chores in favor of some techno game? Are their hormones raging at the shift of the wind?
   Sorry, I'm drifting and being obnoxious. My last teen just graduated on May 22. She decided she wanted to run away a month before her graduation. She claimed the stress at home was too much for her to handle. In reality, part of that was true, but mostly it had to do with a boy.
   I would say communication is the biggest thing. The kicker is trying to get them to communicate with you without feeling like they are being lectured.
   I am watching my 12 year old cousin walking the streets like a tramp. (Another terrible thing to say, but it angers me.) Her mother lost custody to her dad because of a bad judge. In return, this child has become an obnoxious rebel with a nasty mouth and attitude. If one were to see her from a distance, they would have thought she was 16 or older. Even her facebook profile is sexual. Her mother's hands are tied. The child is constantly fighting with her because her mother is trying to set boundaries and rules. The child will even go as far as telling her dad she no longer wants to see her mother. In this case, it will take a lot of patience and finding a way to communicate with the child. Don't give up on consistency because they are protesting that something isn't fair.
   My daughter has worked out her problems with us. She is coming around and beginning to understand in a clearer picture the lessons we have tried to teach her.

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4. 55

   marbroscottposted 12 years ago

   I had to deal with a trouble teen that wasn't my child. I was her aunt by marriage. She moved in with us because her other aunt threw her out. She was only 15 at the time and it appeared to me that she was going through hormonal change. I thought maybe if I took her under my wings and showed her some love and compassion that it would solve the problem. Majority of the time I would make rules and she would break them. She tried to play my husband and I against one another. I continued to try to work with her regardless of the rebellion. When she became 18, she left my house and quit school. There was nothing more I could do for her because she had reached 18. She got into trouble a week after leaving my house and was arrested. Whe she got out of jail and left town to return to her home town. I heard that she is now pregnant. Hopefully the baby will slow her down. Hopefully!!

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5. 57

   tannya03posted 12 years ago

   When my son turned 14, our world turned upside down. He became moody, defiant, rebellious and disrespectful. It's like a new person has taken over my son and I didn't know how to get the old him back. It was a challenge at first because I didn't know how to handle it. But later on, with practice, I got the hang of it. We still argue and he is still a different person but we worked some of the issues by communicating constantly. That's what really helped us understand each other well.

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