Parenting a teenager, even a really good teenager, is challenging at best and difficult and painful at times. There are a number of losses involved for parents and it requires a whole lot of letting go, not to mention patience and faith. Here are some truths about teens. One of a teenager s developmental tasks is to separate from parents, so some amount of distancing is normal. Girls often distance by having conflict with their parents while boys distance by disappearing and being uncommunicative.
Teens have a natural tendency to oppose their parents and their parent s opinions.
This is just one more way of becoming separate. Teens are changeable, trying on new roles and personas like we try on new hats. Keep a sense of humor and remember the old joke about the Minnesota weather, If you don t like it, wait five minutes. The same can be said for your teen s latest phase. Teens are peer driven.