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Dealing Effectively with your Moody Teen
Raising teenagers take a tremendous amount of patience! it is completely normal for your teen to have slight ups and downs during this age of adolescence and sometimes it can drive you crazy. It is a proven fact that once your child becomes a teenager your hair will get greyer and your patience shorter, just ask anyone who has survived it. Teenagers are also lots of fun and they can start to really be a joy to be around once you learn how to deal effectively with their mood swings.
Understanding Hormones
Hormones are more than likely the cause for your teens up and downs, but do note if the ups and downs are happening at a more rapid rate there may be something else going on so speak to your family doctor. Let’s just say your teen is experiencing mild up and downs, just as you did when you were a teenager; acknowledge that hormones play a key role in this situation. While you can’t do much about the hormone fluctuations creating an irritable teenager, you can learn to have an open discussion with them about what’s going on with their body. If you are finding hormones are a bit crazy for your teenager and they seem quite irritable one day, then give them a little slack, encourage them to curl up to read a book, take a nap or draw a bath; think about what works when your body and emotions are feeling “off”.
Give Them Space
Accept that your teen may just need a little bit of alone time. Many parents of teenagers have noted that it works best for everyone when they allow their teen down time to simply “chill”. When your teen is at full swing moodiness, there is often no rhyme or reason to their behaviors. Trying to give advice or talk them out of what they are feeling can be a lost cause and only escalate the problem. Give them a break.
Hold Them Responsible
If you notice a change in your teen’s mood that is spiraling downward, they are constantly arguing with you or their siblings and nothing seems to make them calm down then down time is needed. Teach your teen to step away when they are feeling miserable (or making others feel miserable). Let them know it is perfectly okay (and responsible) for them to walk away and go be alone to work out their feelings so that they can return to family life in a more positive mood. Set boundaries so that they learn how to effectively manage their emotions and not take out their frustrations on the family.
Reinforce Good Behaviors and Embrace the Good Times
Last but not least, the best way to deal with your teenager’s mood swings is to take full advantage of their good days and moments. Nothing helps a moody teenager have less irritability than giving them more attention during positive days. If your teen is getting a good amount of positive attention during their not so moody days, they will be more apt to keep a steady head about them when a mood swing comes on. Encouraging a positive environment at all times with amplification during your teen’s good mood days will help teach your teen unconditional love and in turn they will eventually grow out of the moody teen years to appreciate what you did for them.
Have you dealt with a moody teen? What advice do you have for parents?
