9 Ways That Parents Don't Parent Teenagers

Kemuel Ronis


To be friends-
Being a parent does not mean being your child’s best buddy. Your role is to love them, guide them, and to be the authority in the household.

To not have regular chores-
Being a family means that everyone helps. This habit should have started much younger than the teenage years. It also means that your children should not have to be constantly reminded about what they should do around the house. If you don’t know how kids should be contributing, then ask for advice or post a question: that’s what I’m here for.

To allow whining-
This wears you down and teaches your child poor interaction skills.

To give in-
Teenagers have basically two weapons: withdrawal of love and being sullen. The hard work of being a parent means saying no. If you give in by being manipulated whenever your child does not get his or her way, then the battle is over. You might as well just hand over your paycheck, credit cards and car keys now…

To give too much-
This is a tough one because our culture supports instant gratification and mass commercialism. Spoiling your child by buying them everything they want is one of the worst things that you can do as a parent.

To clean up their mistakes-
One of the most powerful and effective ways to learn and change behavior is by experiencing the consequences of ones choices. Parents who always make everything alright are doing their children a great disservice.

To be absent or unavailable-
Even though our culture says that teenagers don’t want to be around their parents, the truth is that they need and want your time.

To be the cool parent-
When parents make decisions about their children in order to be known as the cool parent, disaster is not far behind. Underage drinking parties in your home do not make you cool, just stupid. I won’t even mention getting high…

To not listen-
Being a parent means really paying attention to what your child is saying and sometimes not saying. Listening means being calm, considering your son or daughter’s words, taking their problems seriously, and being respectful.