The school year is well underway. You may find yourself already embroiled in a frenzy scheduling, activities, and demands, leading to tense after-school battles and “wars of wills” with your teens. Beyond their reluctance to do homework and chores, a teenager’s constant quest to assert themselves and carve out a personal identity can make things difficult for the whole family. If you’ve found yourself constantly chiding your children or spouting the usual “no going out until you finish your homework,” “clean up your room, ” and “did you do the dishes?” you’re certainly not the only one. Unfortunately, getting swept up in a firestorm of do’s and don’ts only increases the stress level at home. Rather than add to the pressure, you can help your teens learn to deal with routines and demands in a healthier way.
An adolescent’s testing of boundaries and seemingly passionate drive to explore the exciting and unknown is a key part of the developmental process. Often times it is the “work of adolescence” that helps a teen’s core character and personality traits emerge and develop, and end ups enabling them to lead lives of adventure and purpose throughout adulthood.
If your teen’s general response to discussing…
