How to Deal With Out-Of-Control Teen Behaviors

Have you ever wondered why teens behave the way they do? Coping with raising teenagers might not be so smooth. So, here is the question; what can you do when your teenager is out of control?

Every kid goes through this stage, and every parent should learn how to manage the phase. Parenting is a technical and obligatory lifelong task. While raising kids, the teenage step is one of the delicate periods where they often exhibit out-of-control behaviors.

To begin with, stop overprotecting the child and provide reasonable freedom to the developing individual. However, in order not to worry and to continue ensuring safety to your child, download the “Findmykids” app from AppStore and GooglePlay. With it, you will always know where your child is, what they are doing, and how things are going at school.

A teenager acting out at some point is almost inevitable. As a parent, you cannot help but worry when your kids start showing some unwanted behaviors. This trait is often apparent when kids approach or are entirely in the teenage phase. However, the ability to identify and provide help for a troubled teenager is a crucial part of parenting.

The common out-of-control behaviors at this phase include disrespect, destructive behavior, flirting, excessive anger, and others. For parents, the thought about these behaviors comes on two sides. It is either the thought that teenagers are learning these behaviors from their peers or the fear that they might be different from other kids.

Nevertheless, getting stressed over teenage issues is never a way forward for parents. Instead, you should learn how to provide help for a troubled teenager. Also, you can get familiar with the necessities of parenting a troubled preteen while preparing yourself on how to handle teenagers.

Who Is A Teenager?

An average parent or general adult is familiar with the term «Teenager». However, not to be too overconfident, it is essential to re-familiarize ourselves with the name.

The word «teenager» is mostly allied with adolescence. It is a term used in describing kids that fall between the ages of 13-18. At this phase, kids often learn how to have confidence in themselves. Also, in this phase, they learn how to trust their judgment and other skills.

Moreover, in this phase, teenagers get easily influenced by what they are exposed to, including peer groups. The things involved in this learning process take different tolls on different kids. Understanding this process can help you explain why teenagers behave the way they do.

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6 Reasons Why Teenagers Behave the Way They Do

Every parent needs to understand that certain underlying factors influence why teenagers behave the way they do. While some of these factors can be mitigated, others are inevitable. The knowledge of these factors will undoubtedly help parents on how to handle teenagers.

Here are some of the primary reasons teenagers act the way they do.

• Taking Risks: Most teenagers often feel the urge to take risks. You should, however, be aware that these are not calculated risks. They are risks that will make you ask what the hell they were thinking while taking such risk. Many people believe it is because they don’t think about it.

On the contrary, the effect of risk-taking is counter-intuitive on most teenagers. They take such risk because they overthink it. Consequently, this extended thought raises their curiosity while fueling their confidence. As a result, they often overlook the consequence of their actions.

• Guidance: The transition from being a complete kid to a teenager is never smooth. Kids often need the best advice they can get at this stage. You can help them mitigate all these transition challenges by ensuring they get the best guide at home and school. On the other hand, they can go out of control if they don’t get the best guidance.
• Peer Pressure: Can you imagine how hard it is to cope with societal pressures as adults? It is quite the same with kids and peer pressure. The whole teenage behavior can get complicated with bad friends in the mix. Teenagers often want to do what their friends are doing, if not better.
• Deficiency of Concentration: Some parents make the mistake of treating teens more like adults than kids. No, this is wrong. Teenagers are more kids than adults with the sole reason of losing concentration at the slightest instance. They often get so carried away that it starts to reflect in their behavior. Parents need to learn how to bring them back to their senses once this happens.
• Exaggeratedly Emotional: An average teen tends to misinterpret and overreact to their emotions, especially anger. According to science, an average teen’s brain will interpret almost all types of negative as anger. Therefore, teens tend to exaggerate these emotions in a bid to express them. However, it is essential to note that this form of behavior is bidirectional. Some teen acts just opposite to this.
• General Influence: Here is another part parents need to pay attention to at. Certain factors generally influence the way teenagers behave. These factors include exposure to family and other forms of violence. It also includes societal, religious, and cultural influences. The way they act can be dependent on which side of the forces they fall. Good or bad.

How To Identify A Troubled teen

There is a striking difference between typical teen behavior and being troubled. The ability to identify these differences is crucial in parenting a troubled teen. Here are the key factors to look out for in a troubled kid.

• Change in physical appearance: This includes an apparent change in dressing, haircuts, self-harm, extreme weight loss, and others.
• Noticeable Changes in Personality: This includes a decline in academic performance, obstinate sadness, anxiety, bullying, violence, and talking seriously about suicide.
• Drug Abuse: Drug abuse in an indisputable sign of a troubled teen. These include substance abuse, alcohol, and others.
• Being Rebellious: A teenager going rebellious all of a sudden might indicate trouble. A lot can still be done at this stage before it gets out of hand.

How to Provide Help for a Troubled Teenager

Once you identify a troubled teen, the appropriate step to do is to provide help. The help should include the mitigation of the effect and helping them to the right track. This task is often the responsibility of the parents. Here are steps you can take to assist in the parenting of a troubled preteen or teen.

1. Understand Why the Teen Behave the Way She/he Does: This is the first step in helping a troubled kid. Understanding this part is crucial because it will guide you in the logical steps to take to improve the teenager.
2. Understand Why You Need To Help The Teen: When the purpose is unknown, abuse is inevitable. Consequently, you must recognize why you need to help the teen. This recognition will guide you on the right approach to use.
3. Connect With The Troubled Teen: If you are ever going to provide help for a troubled teenager, you have to connect on a personal level. This connection will help you understand the needs of teens. Likewise, it enables you to find common ground, be there for them. Also, it will help you provide valuable advice or judgment.
4. Deal Directly with the Teen’s Behavior: A troubled teen will undoubtedly express some behaviors that you must deal with promptly. These behaviors include being rebellious, abusing drugs, being violent, and others. You should start by understanding the reason behind the anger of your teenager.

However, helping them get over this behavior won’t happen overnight. It will take a persistent, consistent, and tenacious approach. One of these approaches is helping them understand the consequence of their behavior. Another way is to provide an excellent alternative to their bad behavior.

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This alternative will help the transition from bad to good easier. Also, it will mitigate the effect of the change and prevent the teenager from learning the hard way. However, you should be careful of your approach. You should avoid pulling the trigger as much as possible.

Seek Professional Help If You Have To: If you figure out that your kid needs professional help, don’t hesitate to get it. See a therapist if you need to. Consult a counselor if there is a demand for it. Register for a gym or sports session if that would help. Overall, just ensure that you are adding a significant balance to their lives.

Aside from the above, there are other practical steps to help a troubled teenager. These steps include:

1. Regulate what your teenagers get exposed to at the early stage.
2. Boost their self-esteem.
3. Only judge their behavior, never judge them.
4. Regulate what they assess on the internet.
5. Be a good role model for your teenagers.
6. Be careful not to overreact to their behavior.
7. Do not reply to their anger with anger.
8. Don’t neglect yourself too.

Conclusion

The teenage phase is an indispensable part of a child’s growth. Parents have to take special note of this phase and help their kids get through it. Be close enough to understand your kids’ typical behavior and differentiate it from when they are acting out.

Also, make sure you take steps to help your troubled kids. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that they can outgrow it without any help. Nevertheless, it is essential always to remember that being a teenager is just a phase, and it will pass.

Overall, ensure that you pay attention to your out-of-control or troubled teenager. Learn how to handle teenagers. Likewise, you should include how to handle a troubled preteen as part of your parenting skills.