| Raising children is a challenging and often frustrating | | | | children under the care of therapists. But we don't |
| task, ask any parent. Some children are easier than | | | | have to let it get that bad. |
| others, but there are no perfect children or perfect | | | | The danger to parents of being seen as a "bad |
| parents; and even the most successful parents can | | | | parent" when their teenagers become unruly, puts |
| see their family-harmony crumble away when their | | | | them under enormous stress and pressure, which |
| sweet little boys or girls become hard to deal with, | | | | adds to the emotional imbalance in the child-parent |
| unruly, teenagers. | | | | relationship. This pressure on parents may dissuade |
| Teenagers are notorious for being difficult, obstinate, | | | | them from seeking help and guidance when they need |
| argumentative and self-centered - they are on the | | | | it - leaving them to continually use tactics that don't |
| verge of adulthood and struggling to find their identity | | | | work, create more and more conflict situations, and |
| and independence, while learning to cope with an | | | | lose complete control over their relationship with their |
| excess of new hormones flooding their bodies. Yes, | | | | child. |
| we may know all this and think we've prepared | | | | But it is of the highest importance to seek help - and |
| ourselves for the worst - but it is a great shock to see | | | | not to feel ashamed when you do so. |
| a happy child turn into an almost complete stranger | | | | The internet has opened us up to even greater |
| right before your eyes. | | | | sources of information, help, guidance and support than |
| I've seen this happen in the families of the peers of my | | | | was ever possible before. Thousands of ebooks, |
| own teenage son, and I see it to an even more drastic | | | | websites, forums, online programs and down-loadable |
| degree among the children I work with - children who | | | | parenting methods are at the disposal of every parent, |
| already have learning and behavioral problems. | | | | covering every aspect of parenting, and specifying |
| No amount of "good-parenting" experience can | | | | every child age-group and their particular requirements. |
| guarantee that your child will go through adolescence | | | | Much of this information is free, and it encompasses |
| without troubling problems, but when those problems | | | | more insight and experience than any one parent can |
| are not resolved, it can have a disastrous effect on | | | | ever gain alone. If you are trying hard, and failing, to |
| the family unit, and life-long negative consequences for | | | | deal with unruly teenagers, the internet can lead you to |
| both children and parents. | | | | the light at the end of the tunnel. There are programs |
| In today's society, where physical discipline is no longer | | | | available that offer full parent support and guidance - |
| accepted as a desirable, or effective means to | | | | from people who have many years experience in |
| maintain the authority of the parent over the children, it | | | | dealing with every child and teenage problem |
| is up to the parents to discover and use more creative | | | | imaginable - and the chance to talk with hundreds of |
| ways to deal with unruly teenagers, and keep the | | | | other parents dealing with the same situations as you |
| balance of harmony, respect and love within the family. | | | | may be dealing with. |
| The problem is that we have learned most of our | | | | I believe that the last great task of parents, is to guide |
| parenting tactics from our own parents - and we use | | | | their teenagers into adulthood with a positive image of |
| them, adapt them or dismiss them according to our | | | | themselves and the world as a whole. It is therefore |
| own childhood experience. But when these tactics | | | | vital that any parent-child conflicts are resolved before |
| stop working, we have to turn to others for help - | | | | the child leaves the nest. It is the duty of the parents to |
| most often the specialized expertise at our disposal in | | | | make this happen, to accept that they may need help |
| the form of "books from the experts", or, when things | | | | to make it happen, and to seek that help wherever |
| get really bad, we can call personally on those experts | | | | they can before it's too late. |
| (at a cost and a great deal of heartache) and put our | | | | |