Help! My Baby’s Turning Into A Teenager!

Turning Into A Teenager-Chispa MagazineIt seems like only yesterday you held them in your arms for the first time. This tiny delicate thing. You remember looking at them and wondering how there could be anything so fragile and beautiful in the world. The years rolled by like minutes and before you knew it their little personalities began to emerge. They started to crawl and then walk. They began to learn voraciously. They found their voices and started to have opinions. They went to school, made friends, had sleepovers, and you began to see their personalities develop in more pronounced and sophisticated ways. A few more years passed in the blink of an eye. Something began to change quickly and irrevocably. The apple of your eye became something different, something alien and terrifying… A teenager!

While few teenagers conform to the numerous stereotypes that litter popular culture, the rapid fire transitions that come when your child becomes a teenager can be bewildering and perplexing for parents, especially if this is their first or only child. The paradigm shift can be stressful for both parents and it can not only put stress and pressure on them but it can also challenge their relationship in unexpected ways.

Understanding teenage psychology. Teenagers are unpredictable creatures. Their bodies and minds are changing in ways that do not understand and their behavior can seem extremely erratic. Your kid can seem like a completely different person day by day. Hormones surge and shift, and their bodies seem strange and alien to them. It’s no wonder that they’re emotionally all over the place. Of course we’ve all been through the exact same thing but they’d never understand us if we told them that.

They may become hostile toward you, demonstrating a feigned independence that comes with their perceived adulthood. They may try to play you off against your spouse, implying that your other half trusts or even loves them more than you do. Try not to take this bravado to heart. Though they may seem to push against you, they need you more than ever.

Working with rather than against your spouse. It’s easy to let this cause a rift in your relationship. Accuse your partner of overindulging your child or of being so austere that it’s no wonder they lash out. Now more than ever, though, it’s important to work together. Show your child a united front. Show them that love and solidarity work.

It may seem like you’ll never have a positive memory with your child but you’ll change your mind when you first see them in a tux or a long prom dress. You and your partner need to model appropriate behavior with one another and demonstrate that life in the household does not revolve around them.

Getting the balance right. Adolescence is a turbulent experience and teens need balance. You and your partner will need to be the model of that balance. Therefore it’s necessary to make time for one another as well as the family. You should still have date nights, you should still be forthcoming in your affections (even if your kids roll their eyes in disgust). As much as the raging discord of puberty might try to drive a wedge through your family, you and your husband can be the very embodiment of harmony.

Photo by Matheus Ferrero

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail
Mia Guerra

Mia Guerra

Executive Editor at Chispa Magazine
Executive Editor at Chispa Magazine, Mia Guerra is a writer at heart. Regardless the topic, she loves to investigate, encourage, and ruminate on topics that can make us better people. Aiming to live a Proverbs 31 life, Mia is ecstatic to be following her calling with Chispa. At home she is her husband's sidekick and together they are raising a God-fearing family in Atlanta.

Mia Guerra

Executive Editor at Chispa Magazine, Mia Guerra is a writer at heart. Regardless the topic, she loves to investigate, encourage, and ruminate on topics that can make us better people. Aiming to live a Proverbs 31 life, Mia is ecstatic to be following her calling with Chispa. At home she is her husband's sidekick and together they are raising a God-fearing family in Atlanta.