Parenting Adolescents

𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐄𝐲𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐬. 𝐃𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠.

It’s the familiar picture of what it’s like to parent a teenager.

The sudden change in behaviour and attitude that accompanies adolescence can leave mums and dads wondering what happened to the child they thought they knew so well.

While as a parent, you might wonder “is everyone’s 14-year-old like this?” – the truth is, it’s a normal part of growing up.

The process is called “differentiation.”

It’s the bridge between childhood and adulthood, where an adolescent begins to map out their own unique identity.

While our childhoods are often marked by 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 to our parents, differentiation often involves 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 from them.

One day, your child is rushing to greet you at the door, excited to tell you about their day.
And the next, they can’t get away from you fast enough, spending more and more time on their own or with friends.

To a parent, it can feel as though the connection with their child is slipping away. And to an adolescent, it can feel like their parents are holding them back from becoming their own person.

So, how do parents help a teenager throughout this process 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝?

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