Coping with Teens: The Demanding Phase of Teenagers
By Ahmad Amirali
Last week, a parent approached me after my class and shared one concern about her teen, which is of every parenting concern nowadays, that she is now becoming more and more demanding materialistically. She believes that her daughter, who is one of my students as well, always complains about the way they live in a ‘joint-family’, means she doesn’t have any privacy apart of her bedroom which is also shared with her younger siblings. However, the parent also appreciates that her daughter understands all these issues very well. Still, sometimes she argues too much with other family members and her siblings over small matters. The parent seems so desperate that she almost takes 30 minutes to share every bit of her mind with me. Once she finished, her daughter arrived, and she left without asking for a solution to her concerns. Maybe she only wants to share her worries to lighten up her emotions. However, while listening to her, several questions burst into my mind. First, if her daughter is that much reasonable, then what makes her react in such a rebellious manner at home? As per my observation, she is one of the obedient students of my class, and she hardly shows any sign of stress during the lessons. Is she really a demanding and attention seeker child at home or, maybe, her parent has misinterpreted her? Or perhaps all the assumptions are wrong, and the only issue is the communication gap between the daughter and the parent. Let’s find out. Continue reading “Coping with Teens: The Demanding Phase of Teenagers”
