5 Things Teens Dislike About Their Parents

As I tell you how to avoid stepping into potential minefields with them. I promise to get back to you soon with the things they love the most about you.

As you know I see many teens each week in my office as well as talking to groups of teens at least a few times a week. So, I hear from them both what they love the most about you and what they dislike. So here in no particular order are some things that they complain about:

1. They don’t like when you make assumptions about them and what they are going to do wrong.
2. They wish that you would ask them once rather than several times to do their chores. They say that when you ask them repeatedly it makes them feel like resisting. Hey, I’m just reporting back to you.
3. Teens get embarrassed when you talk to them as if they are not present.
4. They hate to be compared to siblings and to be known as the “social” one or the “shy” one.
5. They say that if they hear “You’ll understand when you have kids you’ll understand” it makes them not want to have kids.