Dealing with teenagers has become a bigger problem than what it used to be in the past. In fact, parenting itself seems to have undergone drastic changes. As a parent, you cannot get angry while dealing with your children and especially, teenagers. This may worsen the situation and sometimes, it may spoil the relationship between you and your child.
There are a few experts on parenting who opine that anger helps people to assert themselves. If you conduct a study to find out what exactly anger is, you will realize that it is a way the body reacts to a particular situation that may cause stress. Stress may force people to behave differently and therefore, people have to learn to manage their stress and also to control their behavior so that their reactions do not cross the line of acceptability.
Several studies have been conducted on anger and the results of these studies may help you to manage anger while dealing with teenagers. You should first know the basic difference between healthy anger and unhealthy anger. In the former, the feelings are expressed in a calm manner with an aim to correct a situation or solve an issue. In the latter type, people express their feelings in an explosive way. In unhealthy anger, there may be fighting or hurting people with verbal and physical abuses and so on. Experts on parenting give many tips to manage anger while dealing with teenagers.
Be a Role Model
Being a parent, you should show your teenagers the right way by being their role model. Children learn most of their habits from their parents. If you remain cool and composed and express your thoughts in a calm manner even when you are angry, your children may also learn that it is the right way to react in tense situations that may cause stress.
Adopt the Diversion Technique
Your aim is to teach your children how to channelize their anger healthily. They should understand that both physical and verbal abuse may not serve any purpose and that such reactions may aggravate the situation and cause severe strains in relationships. So, whenever they face situations that may induce extreme anger in them, they should learn to divert their minds. If they start thinking about the pleasant things that have happened in their lives, they may cool off soon.
Another way to divert your mind is to meditate. Similarly, you can motivate your children also to learn meditation. This will teach them to relax. Breathing exercises may also help you and your children to calm your minds. Having a pet at home can also help in diverting your mind. Pets are good companions and since these animals may need the attention and energy of everyone in the family, there may be fewer chances for arguments and tiffs.
Healthy Food Habits
You should make a few changes in the food habits of the entire family. There should be less consumption of caffeine in the family. Similarly, you can shut the doors to high-fat foods. If all the members in your family including your teenagers eat healthy foods, the whole ambiance in the family will undergo a metamorphosis.
Seek Professional Help
Only consistent and repeated suggestions and words of advice will help. If your teenagers do not correct themselves even after your sincere efforts, you can seek the help of experts on parenting.
Teenagers need guidance. They may not have the intellect to comprehend and view things in the right perspective. So, parents should sympathize with them and deal with them patiently. You should give them polite suggestions repeatedly and consistently.