Master class in how not to parent your teen
Friday, April 2, 2010 at 10:51PM Anyone with a teen should watch season 5 of The Real Housewives of Orange County. Not for the conspicuous consumption. Not for the griping and backstabbing. Not for the marital troubles. No. You need to watch this woman,
Lynne Curtain and her husband raise their two teenage daughters. They are a case study in the many things that can go wrong when your teen has been raised their whole life with few boundaries and no consequences. To the point that one of the daughters even says she is waiting for the day when her mother will ground her for screwing up but knows it won't happen.
Hello Lynne! Wake UP! Your teen knows you never follow through on any of your threats. You want too much to be her friend but that's not your job. You are the parent! Now is not the time for you to be liked. That will happen again when the kid is 20. Right now you need to set firm boundaries and then make sure that you follow through. I heard about a report that said that teen brains were not yet wired to logically understand the consequences of their actions, rather they make most of their judgements emotionally. This is where you come in. The boundaries and consequences make up for their lack of development. I believe that this is one of the most important things you can do as a parent. I've seen too many parents do like Lynne and they are the same parents that have very challenging teen years. That's not to say that even with boundaries it isn't challenging, just less challenging.
Good luck to all my friends who have the teen years to look forward to. All I can say is I am glad it is not me.
Reader Comments (1)
Thank you for the Reminder, we need to use it Now w Jordan, I think?