Don’t just ignore your troubled teen!
Keep talking to your troubled teen about their behavior — Don’t give up!
by Darlene McKenna, author of The Change
Is your teenage daughter or son just going through the normal stuff, or is it more? Do they listen to you when they do something wrong, or do they simply repeat the bad behavior? Are they staying out all night or not even coming home? Do you even know where they are? As a parent, do you find yourself tired and sick of all the battles? Have you just had enough and do you find yourself ignoring your troubled teenager?
As a former troubled teen, I would like to share some insight on this question. I became difficult and I never listened to my mom. It started with small stuff, like getting into fights and stealing things from her. Before you knew it, I was out all night around a fire pit drinking. Even the kids that I was hanging out with would say, “Darlene, you fell flat on your face last night. Maybe you shouldn’t drink as much tonight.” I didn’t care, and I would just go get another beer.
Why was I drinking so much? I was listening to a negative voice in my head that I now refer to as the “bad guy.” The bad guy would begin to whisper things in my head, like “Why are you such a loser? Everyone has a boyfriend, except for you. No one likes you. Everyone is prettier than you.” I was tough and I tried to ignore the voice. My goal was to be cool and I knew I needed a boyfriend!
