Parenting Advice: 10 tips to handle conflicts with your teenager

Parenting is a difficult job. It is not easy to handle kids, especially when they grow up. Teenagers can be a bit too much to handle sometimes. But it is not completely their fault and it's not easy for them either. The time between childhood and adulthood is full of physical and emotional changes. Tantrums, sulking and ignoring everyone is all part of being a teenager. The hormones raging makes teenagers a tough one to handle, which is why some parents get into conflicts with their them. 

Teen years are not just difficult for the child, they are difficult for the parents as well. You will get into disagreements with your kid like you never did before. From small to big arguments, you might have them all. From what they wear to where they go, you might disagree on almost everything. Conflicts between you and your teenager can be normal and healthy as well as harmful to your relationship, which is why it is important to deal with them smartly.

For all the parents having conflicts with their teenagers, here are some effective ways to deal with it.  

1) Try to understand them before you judge them. Teens get frustrated easily and act recklessly, which is why it is important to understand their behaviour before dealing with them. 

2) Keep calm. Nothing will get resolved if you’re too stressed or too frustrated with the situation. 

3) Listen to your child. Give them a chance to clear things up before telling them what to do. You don’t have to agree with everything they say, but hear them out. 

4) Respect their boundaries. It can be difficult but it's one way to develop a bond between you and your teenager. 

5) Think of the time when you were young and relate it to your child. It will give you perspective. 

6) Think clearly before you say anything to your adolescent kid. 

7) Be open about your feelings. After listening to them, be honest with them by telling them you’re worried about them which is why you get angry sometimes. 

8) Apologise for your bad behaviour. It is okay for parents to say sorry to their kid. It shows that you respect them. 

9) Address the issue at point. Don’t talk about anything they did wrong in the past. 

10) Try to come to an agreement that makes you and your child happy. Don’t force them to listen to you or obey you because they might not.