A Teenager’s Rebellion or His Own Opinion

Most parents are usually scared of two stages in their children’s lives: when they are toddlers and adolescents. For starters, toddlers can be quite a handful, especially with crying uncontrollably, tantrums, and pushing boundaries. Sometimes you sneak into the bathroom or bedroom to have a little time for yourself and even play games like bonusy bukmacher to keep you relaxed.

Luckily, they grow out of it, and afterward, you get to enjoy parenthood with no worries about tantrums. But, unfortunately, this moment is short-lived, and sooner or later, your child hits adolescence, and you start dealing with a teenager. Your cooperative and affectionate child has now become rebellious, breaks the rules, likes arguing, and pushes you away.

Teenager’s rebellion is the most challenging part of our children’s lives. Once the child becomes rebellious, we may feel unwanted and that they hate us or no longer want us to be part of their lives. Nothing you tell them or do seems to change anything, let alone grounding them whenever they are wrong. Unlike previous generations, things are even worse in modern life due to online and social pressures.

Creating secret social media profiles, flirting or sexting, online bullying, wanting to copy the lives of those on Instagram are just some of the problematic things parents have to cope with. But, unfortunately, failing to control what their children are doing online is just some of the things that make parents worried and cannot control their children.

Understanding Teens Brain Development

All teens go through the stage – they want to feel independent, they will want to test you in every way, and they will push you away. It is all part of growing up. Moreover, these changes are due to brain development changes, which will eventually help them make critical decisions when they are adults. So before you judge their behaviors and think that they are attracting attention for no reason, you need to know how the brain works.

During this stage, the prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain, is developing. This part is just behind the forehead. According to David Elkind, the author of “All Grown Up and No Place to Go”, this part of the brain is the judgment and thinking center. So, when your child hits teen years, they can develop their ideas and thoughts.

Younger children cannot see their parent’s flaws. However, adolescents can now see the world more realistically. They become more aware of their parents and do not like how they dress, talk, or eat, especially when they are together. They feel like their parents will embarrass them. Since the brain is developing and generating ideas, your kid would want to try their new skill. Mostly, they would want to do this to their parents or guardians. If you think of it, they are not trying to argue with you but to explore their new abilities.

Before thinking of it as a rebellious act, think of it as a development phase, which they will need later on in life. Teens need this phase to think for themselves and build confidence, especially when it comes to problem-solving. Trying to jump to conclusions and solving their problems makes them believe that you do not believe in them. Instead, try to have a healthy relationship with your teenager. Do not stress yourself, be open, have support from your spouse, and most importantly, remember to tell your teen that you are there for them.