Understanding Parenting Styles

Impact of parents on their child’s behavior have long been the interest of many developmental psychologists. However, finding the reason for the children changing behavior is very difficult as they tend to behave very different during their growth. Through intense research, intensive types of four parenting styles have been differentiated to identity the growth patterns of the children.

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Authoritarian parenting is one style where the children are expected to follow the strict rules and regulations made by their parents. If the children fail to follow the rules, then they would be severely punished. In this style, reasoning for rules are not clearly explained by parents and they want their children to follow their orders without any questions.

Authoritative parenting is another style, but much more similar to authoritarian style. Here, parents establish strict rules and guidelines for their children to follow. However, unlike authoritarian, these parents always tend to listen to their children questions. Also, if the children break the rules, these parents tend to be more of forgiving than punishing.

Permissive style or indulgent style parents have only few expectations from their children. These parents tend to control their children very rarely. This type of parents are very communicative and nurturing to their children.

Finally, uninvolved style parents also have very few demands and they are non-communicative and do not have any response over the children. Though these parents sometimes fulfill the needs of the children, they always tend to detach from their child’s life and never care much about them.

 

How to Discipline Teens without Disturbing the Relationship

Raising a teen is definitely a challenging task and parents have to face so many things to discipline their teenage children. Most teenage children show their anger by slamming the door, raging hormones, screaming, and arguing. Parents should follow a balance between love and authority while disciplining their children. Here are few tips to discipline the teen without disturbing the relationship.

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Parents should be very consistent with their children, especially with the teenagers. Parents changing moods might develop frustration and stress among children. It is the job of the parents to provide more information of real world and provide them direction and security.

Listening is the most important characteristics for the parents. Teens always want their opinions and words to be respected and valued and this can be done only by listening. Even if the teenagers are arguing, parents should listen before talking anything.

Parents should know to control the anger because teenagers may argue to their parents until they lose their patience. At this situation, it is better for the parents to move away from that place. Consistent parenting helps to develop open communication and also reduces confusion in the relationship.

Being friend with the teens is good, but being a parent is very important. Only parents can provide securities and boundaries for their children. Parents while commenting on the wrongdoing of the teen should be very careful and they should comment only on the behavior not the teen. Parents should allow their teen to fail because certain things in life is well understood only through failures.

 

How Parents can help Depressed Teen

Teens are known for their emotional, rebellious, and moody behavior. Studies reveal that one in 20 teens are highly affected with depression. This serious health problem needs immediate parents attention. Parents should not confuse normal teenage doldrums with that of depression. The common signs of teen depression are irritability and aggression. The other symptoms include poor performance in school, changes in appetite, lack of interest, unable to concentrate, and changes in social activities.

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Parents might think that teen depression is difficult to treat, but the truth is it can be treated just like other illnesses and the most common treatment used is cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT. This therapy is very useful for mild to moderate therapies. Depending upon the seriousness of the illness, doctors may even prescribe medications.

Parents can help their teenage children in overcoming the depression. Here are few simple things that parents can do. The best method is talking with the teens and parents should carefully express their concerns. Parents should let their children know about the signs of depression and should ask them about the troubling factor. Most importantly, talking with the children assures them that their parents are always with them to help.

Parents should not come to any conclusion about the teens depression and it is better to consult a doctor about the signs they notice. Parents can make an appointment with the psychologist and they should talk with the specialist before making an appointment for their teens. Above all, parents should respect teen privacy and should not talk about this to anyone else.

 

Dealing With the new Teen

Teens

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Every parent dreads the teenage years. This is the time where kids begin to change and grow and with this they start striving to be their own person and acting out. For the parent it is a time where they worry about just how far it will go. It is not a pleasant situation. Here are some tips to dealing with the rebellious teen.

It is always the best practice to give them space. This is not easy to do because as a parent you are accustomed to spending a lot of time with your family. Still, kids at that age are desperate for attention from their friends and forcing them to spend time with you won’t do you or them any good. Make designated family times but give them their space.

Allow them a healthy form of expression. As a parent you have to be smart about what they choose to use as their expression, but you have to pick and choose their battles. Designer clothing is a healthy form of self expression, but clothing which is associated with gangs of any kind should be monitored and fought against. You have to make sure they understand their own boundaries.

No matter what is happening you should not be afraid to talk to your child about how you are feeling. You love them and you must maintain a healthy dialog. Without communication you are looking at a very messy situation.

Dealing with a teen is no easy matter and as a parent you should know it is a work in progress. If you are committed to keep a relationship tight it will pay off down the road.

Reading Your Teenagers Body Language

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People of all ages can be hard to read. A person may say one thing, but his or her body language is saying something completely different. Teenagers are probably the most confusing of all. With their changing moods and drama filled lives it’s sometimes hard to keep up with what’s going on with them.

Being attentive to your teenager’s body language could help to build a stronger relationship. Here are some body language basics:

  • When you ask your teenager a question and they give you an answer of “no”, but they nod their head up and down as if answering yes. This incongruity may indicate that they are feeling the opposite of their verbal answer. By gently saying “I know you answered no but your head movement answered yes”, it may help them to open up if something is bothering them.
  • Happy and confident teenagers walk with their head eye and are not afraid to make eye contact and smile at others. If your teenager walks with his or her shoulders slumped and head down with eyes looking at the ground they may be having some confidence issues. Most teenagers tend to have this issue at one time or another. Letting them know this is normal may help them to normalize what they are feeling.

Although body language can be a useful indicator as to what your teenager is thinking or feeling, it is not a black and white way of understanding something. What you may take as odd may be a completely normal way to behave for your teenager. A slouchy teenager may just mean he or she is tired!

 

Unlimited Everything with Muve Music

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If you have a teen, you know how quickly the cell phone bill can explode as your teen goes over on minutes, exceeds the number of allotted text messages, and watches videos online. It can get expensive to have cell phones, and yet your teen continues to promise not to exceed the limits the next month. Isn’t there something that you can do as a parent to prevent these problems?

Get an Unlimited Plan

You may think that unlimited plans are too expensive and if you can just get your teen under control, you won’t have to pay for it, but there’s an affordable, unlimited cell phone plan out there that covers all your bases: Cricket’s Muve Music Plan. By purchasing a Muve Music phone (such as the Samsung Suede) for your teen, you can get this plan for only $55/month. It gives you unlimited amounts of the following:

  • Nationwide calling
  • Text, picture, and video messages
  • Email
  • Video
  • Ringtones
  • Data backup
  • Mobile Web

Not only that but the plan allows for unlimited music downloads from the Muve Music store, which include 55 record labels including Warner, Sony, and Universal. What teen wouldn’t love to get music quickly and easily and for free?

Save Money

In the long run, you’ll be saving money by going with this plan and the best part is there isn’t a contract, so you can cancel at any time. Your teen will be happy and you’ll be happy.

Think of all the money you’ll save by giving your teen an unlimited plan. No more stress over ballooning cell phone costs.

The Link Between Sugar and Behavior

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For many years people have held the belief that sugar causes hyperactivity. However research has failed to show a consistent link between the two. What behavioral problems parents may think are caused by sugar may have deeper causes and should not be blamed on sugar.

Research Has the Facts

Some researchers believe that it is the context in which children receive larger sugar doses which are responsible for escalations in behavior. Many of the misperceptions around sugar having a negative effect on behavior are actually coming from parents themselves. A parent will be made aware that a child has had sugar and then automatically view his or her behavior ass being different, when in fact there has been no change at all.

A study conducted by researchers at Vanderbilt University found that there was no difference in the behavior of children with both no and known behavioral problems after they were administered with sugar. Although there is yet to be any solid research evidence that sugar causes behavioral problems, there is evidence that sugar can be addictive.

As sugar is a carbohydrate the body will start to crave it if it has it too regularly. Parents may be confusing a child acting out, and expressing irritability and aggressiveness due to fluctuating blood-sugar levels and cravings for sugar as behavioral problems caused from the sugar itself.

Children express themselves in all different ways. They generally have fewer inhibitions than adults and as such are not adverse to yelling, screaming and hysterical behavior. Just because a child acts this way, it does not mean that they have a behavioral problem. They are just kids!

 

Finding Debt Relief with an Auto Refinance

Debt is something that many families experience. As most parents know, there are often situations that require the use of credit or that otherwise accrue debt. One of these times, specifically, would be right around the time that teenagers learn to drive. No one can argue that one of the highlights of being a teenager is learning how to drive. But driving is also risky business, and it comes with a laundry list of new responsibilities that your teen may not expect – until they take the wheel. For parents this is a wonderful opportunity to teach their teen a little bit of responsibility and discipline.

A great way for parents to promote responsibility while finding a little debt relief is to take out a car refinance loans that the teen is responsible for. The teenagers reward for paying off the loan is having the car and the parents get debt relief by being able to pay off other debt with some of the surplus money from the refinance. This is a perfect teaching opportunity for parents and a wonderful learning opportunity for teenagers.

There are many opportunities that parents have to help a teen understand responsibility. One of the most important of which is to take an opportunity to teach young drivers about the responsibility that comes with driving. Teaching teen drivers about responsibility can impact the way they maintain their vehicle, encourage them to be more aware of other drivers and car owners, and have lasting effects on their decision-making abilities.

Deciding How Much Allowance to Give a Teenager

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Providing your teenager with enough cash each week to keep them entertained without spoiling them can be a tough. Knowing how much allowance to give your son or daughter can depend on many factors, and should not only be dependent upon them fitting in with his or her friends.

Depending on how old your teenager is, and your personal views on teenagers being employed, it is good to encourage your son or daughter to get a part-time job. It doesn’t have to involve a large amount of time for him or her, maybe even just one or two afternoons a week. Earning money will teach your son or daughter to value it more than if it was just handed to them by you.

If your teenager is still too young or you don’t want them to work yet, you will need to give them an allowance of some sort. You will need to take into account factors such as the child’s age, and his or her level of social activities. Generally, the older a child is the more money he or she will need to partake in activities with friends such as movies, shopping and sporting activities. Some people give the child $1 for every year of age, although with the cost of living these days you may want to give them a few dollars more.

Make sure you take into account your family’s finances when deciding how much allowance to give your teenager. Don’t promise them anything which is above and beyond what you are able to give them and still remain financially comfortable for your own expenses.

 

Developing a Healthy Relationship With Your Teenager

The teen years can be a confusing and challenging time for some teenagers. As a parent, your teenager’s journey through this phase of life can present you with both ups and downs. Rocawear shirts, designer jeans, tattoos and a special brand of sneakers may be on your teen’s list of needs and wants. While these are material needs and requests, they represent your teen’s inner longings. The teenage years are a time for exploration of the self and the social world. As your teen finds his or her way through it all, provide loving guidance and support.

Clothing as an Outer Expression of Inner Needs

Your teen dresses in Rocawear shirts, Nike sneakers and wears his hair in a style that didn’t exist when you were growing up. Now he wants a tattoo, which is something that you’re not accustomed to. What does all of this mean? Your teen clearly fits in with his own peers, but you’re wondering where your little boy went. Now he is out, partying with his friends and only coming to you when he needs something.

Boundaries, Support and Patience

The teenage years are critical for personal development. This is the time when your teen learns to stand on his own, learn from his mistakes and become a contributing member of society. In this phase, developing a healthy relationship with your teen requires patience, support, an open mind and setting boundaries when necessary. Your son or daughter may be doing things you never did or would do, but your loving guidance and support will help your teen to become a loving and responsible adult.