Why Teenagers Act Out In Ways That Frustrate Their Parents

Teenagers are their own breed of children.   This phase in parenting hits right about the time that you think that you have got parenting down and know what you are doing.  Teenagers can be fun and exciting to parent.  But they can also act out in ways that frustrate their parents to no end.  They have an attitude and want to push their parents to see how firmly the boundaries are in place.  They take part in risky behavior that worries their parents endlessly.  But why do they do these things?  Is it just to drive their parents crazy?

It turns out that there are very real reasons why teenagers act out.  First of all, when a child goes into their teenage years, their body is in a time of change.  Their hormones are strong and affecting them in ways they never had to deal with before.  Their brain is still developing and changing and one of the side effects of that is that they don’t understand risks like they need to.  They attempt risky behavior because they feel invincible.

Also, teenagers are on a quest for independence from their parents.  This is what they are supposed to do and believe it or not, what they are supposed to do.  We want them to grow to be adults that have lives separate from ours but the process of getting there can be painful.  They are pushing the limits because they don’t feel they need supervision anymore.  We know they do and it is our job to provide it.  They want to prove to their parents that they do not need parenting anymore and when their parents don’t respond in the way they want them to, they usually have an attitude.

It is a fine balance trying to help them grow and mature without letting go of them too quickly.  But as with all other stages of parenting, this too, shall pass.

Image Credit: She Knows