Any parent who has teenagers around must have, at some point had to deal with the sarcastic comments with dismissive tones and the eye rolls that characterizes teenagers’ disrespect to adults. Indeed, such rude dispositions are synonymous with teenagehood and parents are usually tired and even hurt. That brings me to the main issue of discussion- how should parents handle disrespectful teenagers? It is beyond merely beating them; it takes a lot less than that as you shall see below.
One of the best ways to handle teens’ disrespect is to never take it personally. Now I know this may sound like a joke and may probably never even work in a place like Nigeria. But believe me when I say it could just be the solution to transforming your teen. Teenagers like to see people hurt when they hurl insults at them. And typically, people are hurt which in make insult a weapon with which teens use against adults. But in a situation whereby you do not take the insults personally, your teen will be forced to rethink his or her strategy.
But this does not mean you should let the insult get by unnoticed. Agreed, I have just advised on the need not to take it personally, yet you still have to make your teen realize that s/he does not have any right to insult you. In other words, you should react to the disrespect after all, but do not overreact. It is one of the functions of parents to teach their teens the right way to behave, and being disrespectful to elders is unacceptable. Therefore, correct that behaviour each time it occurs, albeit in a manner that does not see you overreacting. You should be calm, focused, straight to the point, decisive and forewarn the consequences should such ever happen again.
It is also important to examine your parenting style. This is because one of the many causes of teen rudeness has to do with bad parenting style. Some parents are used to keeping a blind eye to the fact that their children insult other adults. Unfortunately, the bad thing is that one day such parents might become recipients of such insults. That is why it is important to first of all train up a child in the way s/he should grow so that when they grow up, they will never depart from it. In other words, do not wait until your teenagers begin to insult you before you make them realize that it is bad to be disrespectful.
In conclusion, inasmuch as teenagehood is that point in life when children begin to assert their independence, they must be made to realize that first of all, you gave birth to them and secondly, you take care of the bills. In any case, let all corrections be made with love.
