7 Jan
2006
My husband and I are dealing with some challenging behavior from our sixteen year old son. Generally speaking we both have a very good relationship with him and he’s never caused us any major problems. However since he was a toddler he has always been one to “push the envelope.” It’s like he constantly needs to test his boundaries.
The choices my son has been making over the past several months has lead us to impose restrictions on him that he didn’t have before. He’s not happy. He’s communicating with us with the objective of making us feel guilty and him appear innocent. We can see through him. Fortunately we are completely united in our approach which I know creates more impact and is better for him.
While raising my two children and two step-sons, I have relied heavily on my intuition and it has always served me well. Many say our intuition is our higher power speaking to us. These are the guidelines I’ve been given to follow:
Do not allow yourself to be manipulated.
Teenagers need guidance from their parents.
Teenagers want and need boundaries even though they challenge them.
Believe in yourself.
Teenagers don’t have to always like you.
Do not be afraid to say “NO”.
Although they don’t express it, teenagers like us to be present in their lives.
Challenging authority is normal at this age.
Don’t give in even when you feel like it because it’s just easier to do so.
Remember to acknowledge their strengths.
This stage of my son’s life reminds me so much of when he was a toddler and we had to keep a vigilant watch on him all the time.
No one said parenting was easy!
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