Your child’s teenage years are critical to their continued growth and long-term success. So when you notice behavioural problems, it’s better to address them sooner instead of letting them slide. Even if your child goes to the best CBSE boarding school in Tamilnadu, they might go through some difficulties with themselves, their studies, peers, and authority figures, and you may need to intervene if their safety is at risk. Although it’s better to let your child decide for themselves and deal with their own consequences, you should still be there to provide empathy, support, and structure when needed and do your part in disciplining them.
Challenges in teen discipline
Your teenager will want more privacy and freedom to enjoy their social lives. As a result, they might become more secretive, keep to themselves, and avoid conversations with you. Additionally, as teens are going through puberty, they might also be interested in romantic relationships. At this point, teens are likely to be influenced by their relationships with their peers. At the same time, they like to challenge their independence, making them likely to argue with you when you disagree or prevent them from doing something. As such, there’s a chance they will do things behind your back.
It’s not uncommon for many teenagers to sneak out, go beyond their curfew, or make mistakes. You might find them demanding your attention and support for a while and say they don’t need you later. While each teen is unique, you might notice the following behaviours:
- High susceptibility to the impacts of lack of sleep and stress
- A high likelihood of taking risks, being impulsive, and becoming emotionally volatile
- Think and act like they’re more mature but still display childlike behaviour
- Less interested in family time
- More conscious of their appearance and may consider dating
What are the common teen challenges?
As a parent, your goal is to encourage your teen to be independent, especially when they are enrolled in the best CBSE boarding school in Tamilnadu. However, you should still be mindful of mental health issues, like unhealthy relationships, negative body image, stress, destructive habits (i.e. drugs, alcohol, and smoking), and sleep issues. Here are some challenges most teens go through:
- Want more freedom than they can handle, causing them to break the rules and do as they please.
- Complaining that parents are highly controlling or don’t understand them.
- Lying to avoid being apprehended or punished.
- Experiment with different interests, ways of dressing, and personas which you may not like or relate to.
- Having a short temper, talking back, and displaying rude behaviour.
- Having relationship troubles, school-related issues, and friend drama.
You were a teenager once, so you know how self-conscious teens can become. As such, they become prone to questioning themselves and being sensitive to criticism. As such, you should give them some space and encourage self-expression while ensuring they are behaving safely and fulfilling their basic responsibilities.
Things you can do as a parent
When disciplining your teen, remember that consequences are more effective than punishment in reinforcing and influencing better behaviour. That means teaching skills that your teen might lack or need help with. Additionally, it pays to be consistent and firm while remaining reasonable and fair. Your teen is already old enough to realise the consequences of their negative actions, so they will likely cooperate when they understand you are not merely power-tripping them.
Punishment for teenagers must be relevant to the negative behaviour or action while aiming to teach instead of shaming or breaking them down. This way, you can let your relationship evolve into a collaborative one while establishing your status as the authority figure. Here are a few strategies you can do to discipline your teen:
- Have a non-judgmental, proactive, open dialogue: this will encourage trust, respect, and open communication between you and your child. It’s also a way to make them feel you are someone approachable when they need help.
- Make consistent house rules: Create and maintain a set of rules that result in an automatic consequence when they are broken, such as losing a privilege (i.e. taking away their smartphone).
- Praise and reward: Teens may want to be more independent, but they still want your acknowledgement and praise. So, take the time to highlight their successes and achievements to maintain and encourage positive behaviour.
- Set clear expectations: Set appropriate and reasonable limits and boundaries, so your teen can fulfil your expectations. If they’re struggling to follow through, talk to them and find out why.
Your child’s school can help you raise a disciplined teen.
Look for the best CBSE boarding school in Tamilnadu, like SSVM Institutions. The co-educational international residential school is known for its education that goes beyond the classroom walls. Its highly trained and skilled educators and staff will help your child become confident individuals and grow into global citizens. You can learn more about SSVM Institutions on their website.
