5 Essential Reminders On Parenting Troubled Youth

Parenting is not an easy task especially when a family is faced with rearing troubled teens. Withdrawn behavior, rebelliousness and violence are commonly exhibited by troubled teens and this can be hard for their families to deal with, especially their parents. If you are the parent of a troubled teen then you might be aware of the stress and challenges that come along with raising your child. Consider the following reminders when parenting troubled youth:

Analyze how your teen behaves

To have a good understanding of your teen's situation, you must first try to analyze the problematic behavior that your teen exhibits. Go over what happens when your teen exhibits the said behavior and what the outcome is. Keep a close eye on your troubled youth to be able to identify anything that may have triggered the event. When you gather observable facts that are relevant to your child's behavior, you might be able to identify a reason behind it. At this point, you might be able to reach a solution to fix the negative behavior and even replace it with a healthy one.

Encourage the teen's positive habits and behaviors

You can help your teen develop good habits and behaviors by showing them your encouragement. It could be very meaningful for your child if you do simple things like thanking your teen if he or she helps at home. Don't nag at your teen when he or she grumbles when working; instead thank him or her. It is also a good idea to explain the importance of good habits and how these can teach to become responsible and obedient.

Be consistent with the rules you set

Your teenager will feel that you are indeed serious with the things you say if you stick to the rules you set. Otherwise, your teenager will not respect your word and find it easy to disobey. One way of effectively enforcing a rule is to implement a consequence for a violation. It is as important to both follow through the consequence and explain to your teen the main reason for the disciplinary measure.

Reward obedient and responsible behavior

While discipline and consequences are important, you should also learn to reward your teen for complying with the rules. For instance, if you previously set a curfew and your teen followed it, you can reward him or her by extending the curfew an hour or so during the weekends or Friday night. When you do this, you are letting your teen know that you pay attention to both the good and bad things they do.

Your decisions must be consistent

You should also be resolute in upholding your decisions, not just in the rules you enforce. Don't lose your temper even if your teenager continues to argue unreasonably and never compromise with an unreasonable argument. This will only encourage them to argue with you more in order to get the things they want.

Being the parent of a troubled teen can be difficult, but there are things you can do to effectively handle the problem. However, in extreme cases, it is wise to get professional help for your teen's negative behavior.


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