Parents, Teens & Anger

It seems to me that every time I talk to a group of parents of teens they share a similar issue. They are afraid to have their teenage sons and daughters get mad at them. It is a reason that many parents are afraid to set rules, boundaries and consequences with their teens. And you know what happens here-the teens lose respect for their parents and the parents lose their authority as parents.

What exactly is going on here? I think that parents have forgotten that their primary job is to keep their kids safe. They don’t know that teens generally recover from anger quickly and that the teens won’t and don’t stop loving you simply because they are angry and disappointed. Keep in mind that anger is not such a horrible emotion. Most of us live with it, express it and get over it.

My takeaway message for parents on this lovely Saturday is for parents not to be so afraid of upsetting their teens a bit. Safety first!