I watched a Dr. Phil show the other day on teen rudeness. Apparently this is being considered a teen trend. I’m not entirely sure about that. A trend is when something is moving in a certain direction. That would imply that teen rudeness is something new. I really don’t believe it is something new. However, I do believe that it is an increasing problem.
To be honest, I don’t really think we can blame teenagers. I think we have to blame the adults who allow it to start and allow it to continue. This particular couple on the show had a 19-year-old son who seemed to feel that he was entitled to everything. When they didn’t meet his needs, he became rude and aggressive. Yet the parents fed into it by giving him whatever he wanted. Isn’t this just adding fuel to the fire?
Teenagers will definitely try to test the waters when it comes to their attitude. Sometimes they are just in a bad mood. They may have a lot going on with changes in their development, stresses at school or with friends. There are moments when they are feeling down and this is all perfectly normal. It is not unusual for a teen to snap back at a parent once-in-a-while or even to go through a spell where their attitude is out of whack.
The question is how will we handle it? There are times, I believe, when some things should be allowed to slide by. We have to be engaged enough in our children’s lives to understand that sometimes they are going through struggles. It isn’t a license for them to act like a jerk but at the same time, we have to remember that we have our moments too.
When it becomes a habit, then it has gotten out of line and its time to rein our teen back in. We need to make sure that our teens don’t believe everything should be handed to them. They can’t always have what they want. Sometimes they need to work for things. These are all life lessons that too many teens just aren’t learning. But again, it’s not necessarily their fault.
I don’t really think that teen rudeness is a trend. I think the bigger trend is parents who allow their teens to act that way. How do you handle your teen when they get an attitude?
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