Many people have preconceived notions of what living with a tween and teen will be like, ideas handed down from each generation with hushed whispers of hormones and laziness. Here, teen expert, Sarah Ockwell Smith tells us how this just isn't fair and how learning why your tweens and teens behave like this might help with understanding and empathy.
“Mum, if you want us to respect you, you have to respect us!” I can’t remember what we were fighting about, probably something to do with housework and messiness, but I do remember vividly when one of my teens responded to my out-of-control rantings with this sentence. It hit me like a gut punch. They were right of course, but I instantly found myself feeling more enraged and indignant. I wanted to scream back “Don’t you speak to me like that!” I'm not alone in this, I know many parents today are still confused about teenage behaviour and teens are labelled rude and antisocial all the time.
