How do you stop teenagers from mouthing off

Tiffany - posted on 06/07/2009

Give loving boundaries and consequences. Cloud and Townsend, two Christian psychologist have written a great series on boundaries. They have one on Boundaries with Teens you might want to check out.

Rebekah - posted on 06/04/2009

I know when I did that, my mom would ignore it and then when I calmed down after my cycle was over, she would sit me down and explain to me how I behaved. Hearing it from her and how it affected my family made me apologize and made me realize that I needed to find a different outlet. And I did, I would just get myself alone and just tell my parents, I'm not feeling very good and would like to be left alone, they respected that. And it helped me as I was growing up and trying to learn how to deal with all the new hormones/emotions.

Brooke - posted on 06/04/2009

When my daughter was disrespectful, I would not allow her to have friends over or I would not take her places she wanted to go... She learned that being disrespectful would wind up hurting her worse in the end.

Nancy - posted on 06/04/2009

LOL, my daughter is 7 now. When she was in kindergarten, she had a melt down outside because she didn't want to come in from recess or wanted her own way about something, she sat in the playhouse and cried and screamed, because nothing the teacher could do would calm her down. She eventually did, but that was a big eye opener for me because she never did anything like that at home. She is almost like and only child since my son is 22 and my daughter is 24. So of course she has my UNDIVIDED attention. She wasn't used to sharing and having to wait her turn. She is finishing up 1st grade now and has finally learned to control her emotions better. She's a sweet kid, but very young for her age. I'm just glad for the good teachers at her private Christian school that are able to deal with it in a calm and gentle, yet firm way. Took her longer to mature emotionally than her brother and sister, and she still has a ways to go, but i'm proud of her progress!! : )

Jennifer - posted on 06/04/2009

It's kinda funny, but I was just listening to Chip Ingram talking about anger. (Check out his podcast!) I hate to admit it, but I can be just as bad as my teen and "tween." I think the key is to get to the root of the problem. Like Gillian said, most of the time it's just affection or attention that they need. Other times, I need to correct them. The easiest way for me is to ask if that behavior would be acceptable with friends or at church. It's a great way for them to stop and think about how they're acting. If it's a particularly bad day, I might even say, "please go calm down first, then we can talk about what's bothering you." Fortunately, my 11-yr-old already realizes that she's pretty cranky around her cycle... :)

Helen - posted on 06/03/2009

Quoting Gillian:

Probably not the greatest advice but When my teenager gets pmt and all cross I just ignore it. I know we need to teach our kids to control themselves and their emotions but it is so hard for them. we at least understsnd why we get all irrational and weepy but for a teenager for whom its all new it can just be too much. sometimes if my daughter gets too cheeky i just call her to me and hug her. most of the time thats all it takes.

Thankyou, that is very good advice and I just have to keep it in mind.  Sometimes hard when  your both going through at the same time.  But I will remember it has to be harder for her because its all new to her.

Thanks again you sound like a good mom :)

Gillian - posted on 06/03/2009

Probably not the greatest advice but When my teenager gets pmt and all cross I just ignore it. I know we need to teach our kids to control themselves and their emotions but it is so hard for them. we at least understsnd why we get all irrational and weepy but for a teenager for whom its all new it can just be too much. sometimes if my daughter gets too cheeky i just call her to me and hug her. most of the time thats all it takes.

Gillian - posted on 06/03/2009

Probably not the greatest advice but When my teenager gets pmt and all cross I just ignore it. I know we need to teach our kids to control themselves and their emotions but it is so hard for them. we at least understsnd why we get all irrational and weepy but for a teenager for whom its all new it can just be too much. sometimes if my daughter gets too cheeky i just call her to me and hug her. most of the time thats all it takes.