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Teenagers can be difficult

Last week, Mr Andrew Pritchard and I participated in a Professional Development on Mental Health.

One session we attended was focused on the importance of Relationships and Consequence for young people as teachers and parents.

In particular, we know that at times that teenagers can be difficult to manage. How hard we motivate them, push them and even to the level of giving consequences is forever changing and evolving. There is still room for old fashioned tough love, but we know that many young adults don’t respond to this form of communication well.

It can also be hard as teachers, but more so parents to act rationally when the young people in our lives act poorly, with poor language, poor attitude or a lack of motivation. We care about the young people in our lives, so when they hurt us or make us disappointed or frustrated, it is natural to act emotionally. This usually comes out in two forms – Sadness (crying) or Anger (yelling back).

Most families would have experienced this. Some families have to deal with this confrontation daily, every morning or almost every conversation. We know that the world young people live in is challenging – Social Media, Work / Life / School Balance, Peer Pressure, Academic Pressure and Managing Relationships.

As adults, we need to try our best to remove the emotion. They are emotional – it’s called hormones. But we need to be more rational. Some of the Suggested Strategies for adults to deal with emotional teens include:

• Tell them you Love them / Care about them. They might not want to hear it, they might not respond appropriately, but they need to know – daily.
• Don’t engage in the argument – give them some space, walk away if frustrated.
• Explain to them, that despite their behaviour and attitude, you will still be there for them, that You Aren’t Giving Up and you only want what is best for them.
• Explain that Consequences are a sign of caring. You want them to be successful adults and the world has consequences. If you are late to work, you get a consequence. If you are late to school, you need a consequence.

We want to work in a partnership with you to help our students become resilient, determined, successful young adults.

Mr Aaron Davey - Coordinator of Pastoral Care 7-10