The age of teenagers is confusing, mostly because of hormonal changes and the glimpse of freedom associated with it. Teens begin to develop bad attitudes towards their parents and other elders. Many parents begin to wonder how best to go about improving teenage attitude all while staying swole by keeping a fitness lifestyle intact and staying motivated to continue making progress.
Let’s examine some tips on how to improve your teenager’s attitude:
1. Pay Attention and Show Appreciation
Just like every other person, teens need attention. You should be on the lookout for those moments when they seem to just regularly and in good moods and take your time to appreciate them. Taking note of such moments and appreciating them boosts their self-confidence. Paying attention to when your teenager is acting reasonably and letting them know you have taken note will decrease incidences of bad attitude and improve your bond with them.
It is okay to use both formal and non-formal modes of appreciation; like that hug or pat on the back. Let them know that you have taken note of their good behavior by for example by just telling them “thank you” or “congrats” when they complete a chore. You must be wary of their actions body gestures as a guide for how to appreciate them.
If your teenager is avoiding you, a hug may not be the most ideal form of appreciation, but rather, you may opt to use a thumbs-up, high five, or throw some daps. Be careful not to overdo this because they might feel embarrassed; for example, if you shout your praises at them in front of their peers. This will only add more friction and tension to your relationship and will do nothing towards improving your teenager’s attitude.
Adopting this routine for about a month should yield some positive results. Try it at least once a day and you will notice clear behavioral and attitude changes in your teenager. Specifically, when they are sticking to a solid workout routine, this will help their attitude and overall health – it’s important to show you appreciate their efforts to try to stay healthy.
2. Adopt Mild Punishment
You may have lectured your teenager until now you think the only solution is to punish them. If you opt to punish them, you should be calm when doing so and apply mild punishment to them. For example, you can deny them one of their privileges for example use of a smartphone or their favorite video game console.
You should ensure that your punishment does not take too long because prolonging the time for punishment does not translate to it being more effective. A day or two would be the most ideal length of time. Periods longer than that may trigger worse reactions like them avoiding you, escaping, or other emotional reactions.
Matter of fact, the act of punishing your teenager alone will not bear the outcome you desire. It is advisable that you combine this punishment method with paying attention to their positive behavior which lets them know you still appreciate them.
3. Be Flexible to Compromise
More often than not, teens view their parents as rigid and controlling. Whereas you may want to give them the freedom they crave, it is important for you to set some clear ground rules. You can consider some of the things you can allow them to do which gives them freedom and choice. Doing that is likely to yield cooperation from your teen and is a solid step towards improving teenage attitude.
Being more flexible by allowing them to make their own choice of hairstyle or clothing, letting them figure out their own diet or workout routine, are just a few examples of the compromises you can make. Being too stringent on what they cannot do only pushes them further away. Remember you too were once at that stage in life, so allow them to enjoy that phase in life while making them aware of the good and bad. Note, however, you should only compromise on those things that are reversible or not permanent.
4. Remember This is About What Works
At the moment, you may not get why you have to be so cautious around your teen but at the same time shower them with praises yet you are the parent. The essence of doing all this is to be a more effective parent to your teen. It’s your call; choose what improves your teenager’s bad behavior and attitude.
The Clarity Clinic in Chicago can help with family counseling. You will note that as their behavior and attitude improves, stress levels at home significantly reduce too and relationships improve. Similar to all of the workout routines and diet options you can try, we usually only want to keep those strategies that work for us and let the other strategies and opinions fall by the wayside.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it – a few tips to help you on your path to improving teenage attitude while keeping your own healthy lifestyle intact. You need to be firm yet flexible, just like when you’re working out. Discipline and consistency is key to parenting just like making progress with your weight loss or strength-building lifestyle.
Tags: health, lifestyle, mental health, parenting, teenagers
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