Adolescent
Adolescents want us to give them choices and responsibility appropriate to their age. They become argumentative at times insisting they are perfectly capable of running their own lives and making decisions for themselves.
Seeing this happen, Some parents may be tempted to throw up their hands and to opt for a peaceful life, letting them stay out late, do the things they want. Other parents may come down hard, and take over all responsibility for everything - what they study at school, who they see, when they are in.
When adolescents act irresponsibly and foolishly it’s often because they have been denied some control over their lives.
The answer is neither to let them continue nor clamp down on them but to work out with them what responsibility they could and should take on and increase it as they show what they can do. They tend to rise to responsibility when it is transferred to them.
Some of the issues that may be involved with your adolescent:
Wants independence from parents
Peer influence and acceptance becomes very important
Romantic/sexual relationships become important
May be in love
Has long-term commitment in relationship
Tips for Parents
Encourage your adolescent to take on new challenges.
Talk with your adolescent about not losing sight of one’s self in group relations.
Encourage your adolescent to talk to a trusted adult about problems or concerns, even if it is not you he or she chooses to talk with.
Discuss ways to manage and handle stress.
Provide consistent, loving discipline with limits, restrictions, and rewards.
Find ways to spend time together.
They have a lot of emotional ups and downs.
Most of the time, all they really need is the time and attention of their parents. But sometimes, problems come along that are a little more difficult to deal with, such as major life changes, mental stress, or family issues. It’s at times like these that counselling services can be of a great help.Some parents worry that taking them to a counsellor/therapist means they’re failing them as a parent. This couldn’t be further from the truth. While we would, of course, always recommend talking to your kid if you think something is wrong, sometimes a third/ neutral can make you understand in a better manner.