How To Appeal To A Moody Teen

Parenting teenagers is no joke. If you ask any seasoned parent whether they’d like to look after a newborn baby for a day, or a teenager, most of them will probably say the newborn. Newborns are hard, but at least a newborn eats, sleeps and burps. They’re content with closeness and cuddles, with milk and a diaper change every few hours. Teenagers? They’re terrifying on their best days. Moodiness, rebellion, questionable friends, whining about boredom - spending time with a teenager can be painful.

The key to tackling teenagers isn’t a deep secret or a puzzle to be solved. Just like that newborn, they need love, understanding and patience. They also need some communication - which means we need to be proactive in how much you interact. Appealing to a moody teenager is no easier than reasoning with a toddler having a tantrum, but that doesn't mean it can't be done! Below, are a few of the ways I communicate effectively with my moody teenagers!

Talk

Your teenager may love to stay in their bedroom and do nothing, but that doesn't mean that they don’t want to have a conversation with you. Aim to have at least fifteen minutes for casual conversations with your teenager every day, and aim for a time they CAN talk, like at a meal or just before bedtime when there's less chaos.

Listen

As much as it’s about talking, you need to listen when your teenager is talking, and listen without judgement. Be open and ask them what they want to gain from the conversation. Do they need you to solve a problem? Do they need you to talk it out? Do they need to vent and want you to just listen for a moment? Either way, try to listen carefully to what they’re telling you. You’ll build a high level of trust with your teenager that you wouldn’t get any other way.

Spend Some Time Together

What does your teenager love to do the most? Spending time with your teenager is just one way you can encourage your bond, and Dear Evan Hansen tickets is a great way to expand their horizons and get them talking about something new. Not only that, you’ll get to spend a couple of hours together making new discoveries. Even if they grumble and say the theater isn’t their thing, they’re still going to have a great time - you just wait and see!

Enforce Boundaries

Teenagers are notorious for testing limits and trying to bend the rules. It’s always important to be open and honest with your teenagers, but that doesn't mean you need to allow them to get away with anything. Boundaries are important and you need to ensure that those boundaries are followed. Teenagers must learn which behavior is acceptable, and they do that even with the boundaries that they push against.