Five Tips To Parenting Your Teenagers

I don't really understand why my child has changed, he is not his real self anymore, my child's academic performance has been deteriorating off late, he behaves very arrogantly and prefers to stay in his room most of the time.

Adolescence is the transitional period between childhood and adulthood. Many parents find it hard to deal with their teenagers.

Here are five different ways of dealing with the turbulence years of adolescence described by tasneem, psychologist and psychotherapist @ apollo specrra, koramangala: 

1. Parents involvement: in fact this is a stage when adolescents tend to pull away from their parents, rely more on peers and become rebellious towards parents. Their typical behaviour is manifested in disobedience,
protest, and resistance, a subconscious way of seeking attention fromtheir parents and other related adults. Hence, attending to their cravingfor attention in healthier ways can help them deal with the problems of this crucial period.

2. Love and care: embracing them with more love and care, and making them feel accepted irrespective of their achievements can go a long way in helping them overcome this critical stage.

3. Reinforcing positive behaviour: strange but true, even adolescents love to be cuddled and hugged or at least appreciated and encouraged for their achievements. Hence positive reinforcement could be adopted to enhance acceptable behaviour.

4. Resolving the identity crisis: most adolescents suffer from identity crisis, being bothered with questions as-what am i, or what will I be. Hence, listening to their concerns patiently and helping them establish self identity and meaningful standards to follow can lead them towards a brighter future.

5. Family therapy: parents intervention in addressing adolescent's problems to the therapists helps gain deeper insights into this transitional phase. Researchers also agree that interaction with family members can affect the emotional health of the adolescents.

However, studies have shown that the foundation of what a child will become is laid between ages one and ten when they are most amenable and intuitive. Parents who dedicate more time in shaping their little ones
during these foundation years are more successful in understanding and dealing with their young adults in healthier ways.