Your teenager stomps through the house after school and locks their bedroom room for the evening once again. You wish you knew what was running through their mind as they waltzed around the house in their usual moody fashion. When your kids were growing up you always wanted them to be happy and you prioritized staying healthy. Recently, you think the mental health of your teenager has taken a turn for the worse, as they don’t seem to be engaging in conversation with you anymore. Instead of worrying it’s time to figure out the problem and find a solution once and for all.
Assess Their Stresses
Every kid goes through a moody teenager phase and it is completely normal for this to happen. The alarm bells should start ringing if you start to see a hugely dramatic change in their behavior. Perhaps they have stopped eating their dinner or they aren’t going to school when they are supposed to. Anything from hormones to social media can trigger these types of mannerisms, so you might want to look into reputable teen depression treatment. Nowadays it is normal to admit openly to mental illness so you must talk to your child and find out what it going on in their minds. The sooner you can pinpoint the problem, the sooner you will find a workable solution.
Remember You Were a Teenager Once
It can be very difficult to understand the teenage brain and what it goes through but take yourself back to the time when you were their age. Didn’t you feel angry with your parents? Didn’t you want more alone time in your bedroom? Try to empathize with them a little bit and tell them that you understand what they are going through.
Allow Them to Be Independent
Sometimes teenagers act up because they want a little more freedom to do what they want to do. Perhaps they want to go and see a movie with a friend or go to a birthday party. If you keep them locked in the house and don’t allow them to make mistakes with their friends, they will never learn from it. Give them boundaries and curfews and see if they can stick to it; if they do it shows a good level of responsibility.
Offer an Open Door at All Times
Make sure you don’t shut yourself away from your teenagers, even if they are being horrors towards you. Maintain an open-door policy and allow them to pop into your room and chat at any time. Having an open and honest relationship with your children will help them to talk to you more, so try to be understanding and listen to all of their problems when they come to you for advice.
Every parent is going to come across a moody teen at some point in their adult life, so it is always good to be prepared. Make sure you know how to deal with their anxieties and how to find solutions to their ongoing problems. As long as you have a kind and compassionate heart towards them, you will both come out stronger in the end.
With only one teenager left in the house, DH and I are looking forward to being able to breathe a sigh of relief soon knowing that we only have 2 more years to go till those moody, hormone-raging days are over!