by Writing Gal.

Created on: August 14, 2010   Last Updated: August 18, 2010

Once your child turns into a teenager, your life will dramatically change.  As a child hits their teenage years, they turn from loving, appreciative kids to demanding, smart mouth monsters. During this time, you struggle to keep control of child, while trying to keep peace in your house. While some teenagers only talk back and ignore household rules, others may do more drastic things like break the law and experiment with drugs and alcohol. Your child is trying to figure out who they are and break away from their parents.

While no part of disrespecting your parents and their rules is acceptable, you might want to choose your battles. It may be better to let the arguing and back talking go and only punish for dangerous occurrences. Let your child know that experimenting with life is OK, but breaking the law is not.

Stick to the rules of the house. Make sure that they know the rules and preset consequences with them. If they decide to break the rules, they know what their punishment is beforehand. Stick to those rules because consistency is very important while raising children. If the boundaries are firmly set, they will be less likely to break them.

Praise your child and focus on their accomplishments. Encourage them to do well in school and any other extracurricular activity they are involved in. Reward them for good grades by either money or extra privileges. This will encourage positive behavior.

Don’t criticize their new-found style. You may not like the way they dress or the hair style they are insisting on wearing but you will need to save the criticism for much larger issues. Just make sure the dress is appropriate for the occasion and let it go.

Let your child take responsibility for their own actions. Give them the chance to make their own mistakes and learn from them. If the situation is dangerous or illegal, then step in. If your child is running late for school, they will serve the detention. Not allowing your child to care for himself will turn him into a dependant adult.

Give your child space and let them deal with their own problems. Let them know that you are here to talk but step back. If they need you, they will let you know. If not, don’t push them. They will only resent you.

There will be times when a parent's involvement is a must. If your child is showing signs of dangerous behavior, you should call your doctor and get his opinion. Some signs that may require seeing a counselor.

Experimenting with drugs

Experimenting with sex

Shows signs of depression

Suicidal thoughts

Dropping grades

Reckless behavior

Skipping school

Becomes violent

Runs away from home

Breaking the law in any way

 Keep a look out for these signs in your teenager.

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