Of teens issue your teen

Young people going through the process of adolescence need what they have always needed from their parents. They want your love, your support, your encouragement, your nurture, acceptance and attention. The difference for teenagers is that while children need their parents to be in the lead, pulling them along, directing their steps and making the important decisions, teenagers need to be side by side. There are particular skills that support children in learning how to manage for themselves, to trust their own judgment and develop their own skills. When it comes to dealing with teenagers, we may use much the same skills as we did when they were younger, but at a greater remove. All of us need to feel safe and protected, to have our physical requirements for food, clothing, warmth, healthcare met.

Help answer your teen's questions that stem from five core needs: security, belonging, identity, purpose and aptitude. In a fast-paced, performance-driven world, parents can help their teens overcome stress by shifting their focus. Have your teens expressed doubts about their faith? Instead of panicking, help them work through their doubts — questions and concerns — to strengthen their faith. Jim Burns encourages parents to allow their children to fail so they can become resilient, responsible adults.

Back to Moodzone. Teenagers' behaviour can be baffling, stressful, hurtful and often worrying. But in most cases it doesn't mean that there is anything more serious going on than the natural process of becoming an adult. Many of the common behaviour issues that parents find hard are an essential part of puberty and growing up.

Patti Neighmond. Amy Myers talks with her son Kamron, 18, in the backyard of their home in Boise, Idaho. She has found raising a teenager to be extremely stressful. Kyle Green for NPR hide caption. If anyone can handle the stress of parenting in the teen years, you'd think it would be a high school teacher.