A child who used to love being the center of their parents’ attention changes during adolescence. When the mom asks where you are going in the middle of the night, you might say you will attend a group study even though you are actually going to a friend’s party. When the dad wants you to be home before seven o’clock every day, you might question their order and still stay out later than that, irrespective of the consequences. “Many parents feel constrained and controlled by their teen’s irritability, anger, and fragility — circumventing necessary communications, problem solving, and limit setting,” according to Lynn Margolies, Ph.D.
It is highly apparent that this transformation took place because you want to prove that you are pretty much an adult by now. Curfews get deflected by you; parents have no other task than to give you a monetary allowance and a roof atop your head. The reality you clearly cannot see, though, is that parents have obligations that you need to accept and respect.
- Asking For Facts
The first responsibility of a teenager’s mother or father is to find out every truth that their kid holds. They do not always have to be the most jaw-dropping ones. It can include things like their new crush at school, the hobbies they want to take, and the grades they get. According to Amy Morin, LCSW, “A few simple changes to your parenting strategies could give your child the tools he needs to manage his behavior more effectively.”
For some teens, it tends to feel as if their parents are snooping. In their head, the facts they will provide might only get used against them in the future. And that is entirely wrong.
Your folks want to inquire about these things because they don’t wish to realize one day that they no longer know their offspring. That typically happens to parents who give kids so much freedom, to the point that the latter care more about others’ opinions than their parents’.
- Talking To Your Peers
Your mother and father can also speak to your friends, teachers, and anyone else you are in contact with at the moment. It is their parental right to do so, especially because these people might become a positive or negative influence on you.
In case your parents do it whenever someone comes over to the house or they watch over your activities, you should feel glad instead of mad. Yes, their questions may sound crazy at times, but they are still better than those moms or dads who have no clue about the stuff their kids do outside of the house.
- Keeping Your Communication Lines Open
It is often the parents’ obligation to maintain an essential line of communication between family members. It helps them understand everything about their children without having to make guesses. Not to mention, it gives them extra opportunity to get to know you and your siblings better as you all grow up into fine young ladies and gentlemen.
Because of that, you should try not to get annoyed when your mommy and daddy take turns asking you about school and love life. They are not doing that to find a way to ground you. It is merely their method to help you see that you can talk to them about anything anytime.
- Giving You A Chance For A Better Future
Finally, it is your parents’ responsibility to make sure that your adult life will be ten times greater than theirs. The task seems easy at first since they can simply hire the best tutors or send you to an Ivy League school. However, if you are quite an adventurous kid who tends to dive into trouble sometimes, they might become strict and prevent you from growing your social circle as much as you want.
Although it sucks to be in that situation, you have to give props to your mom and dad for taking an interest in your future. They do not wish for you to go astray, so they are trying to discipline you in the way they know. That does not often equate to fun, but you will thank them later when you find a six-figure job and are living the life everyone wants to have.
Your parents wish for you to have the greatest things in life, young one. They have a role to fulfill as your guardians, and they will do everything to keep you on the right track. That is something that all teens need to accept now to avoid clashes with your folks. As what Marie Hartwell-Walker, Ed.D. shared, “We can’t prevent the unexpected. But we can build our capacity, and that of our family, to cope.”