Best Thing to Say To Your Teen when she is angry, hurt, disappointed, hopeless, raging, confused.
Try: "You know me..."
Hopefully, your years of love, support, and foundation will pay off here.
Sometimes repeating the same thing over and over again is helpful...just one line.
Maybe, "You have the ability to make great decisions." Or, "You know what we expect of you,"
even, "This is perplexing."
Stick to it, don't veer or follow your child down the rabbit hole of yelling, shaming, and lecturing - which only leads to him tuning you out and your feeling like you've been hit by a car.
Adolescent are stretching their negotiation muscles, learning how to push hard against the rules and the system that they are coming to question.
Adolescent are stretching their negotiation muscles, learning how to push hard against the rules and the system that they are coming to question.
Avoid whack a mole (you present an idea and they hop around to five other topics) - they will always win.
Keep your discussion to one main point.
Repeat that sentence and keep your voice level, measured, and allow yourself a time out if you feel frustrated or angry. We've all been there.
