6 Ways to Fix Rude Teen Behavior

Parents at one point in time will have to deal with their rude teenagers. Their hormones are raging all over the place and are still coming to terms with their new developments.

While the behaviour of a rude teen may not be personal, remember that they are only going through a process of self-discovery which can be confusing and intimidating and would need all the help they can get from you. Here are 6 tips to help you and your teenager survive this tumultuous phase:

 1. Maintain your parental status

This is the time to put the ‘friendship’ part of being a parent aside and be a parent. It is a time to maintain your stance on situations and rules, no matter how unfair or apologetic your teen is. Ultimately, they will take cues from how to act or what actions to drop by the way you handle your parenting status.

2. Draw clear lines that must not be crossed

The trick to handling teenagers is to give them a bunch of rules, only to watch them break it. You will however soon realize that the rules that worked during the preteen years may not work now. Start by figuring out what’s most important to you, like right and wrong, honesty and grades, and let go of stuff that doesn’t matter in the long run.

3. Choose a teen appropriate punishment

Most teenagers will not shrink at the thought of being spanked or flogged. Then, take away computer or phone privileges for a month, you may actually manage to make your teenager beg. You will need to find a balance on how to properly punish a teenager, do not just dish out punishments that will have no effect or that will make the discipline lose value

4. Reciprocate respect

Even as a parent, you may find your self being corrected by your teen. On these occasions, make sure you reciprocate the type of behavior you would want your teen to dish out if the tables were turned. A lot of parents, find it difficult to apologize to their children, which shouldn’t be. As much as you have feelings, so does your teen. Sometimes everybody goes a little too far. Learning to be polite to your child, models them subconsciously, and eventually manifests itself in their actions.

5. Let them brew

Hardly do you find in African homes, teenagers raising their voices or screaming loudly at their parents, as it all usually ends in what the Yoruba people like to call Ifoti gbigbono, (hot slap). However, for the few extremely rude teenagers, allowing them to stew in their rage, helps them to think clearly and sort through their feelings. Send them to their room to think, settle down, dry their eyes and then come out to have a discussion with you.

6. Establish the importance of family time

Your teen wants time to exert independence and new found form of semi-adulthood. At the same time, they still need your guidance and direction. In a bid to not always being harsh or ‘not fun‘, you can set out time for just the two of you, or for the whole family. No friends, uncles or aunties, just your immediate family. Go see a movie, go swimming, to a park, have a picnic or a barbecue. Spend quality family time with your teen.