No matter how well behaved your teenager is, they are all subject to bad moods and the odd cheeky phase at times. Here's how to cope.
Dealing with cheeky teenagers is one of the things all parents need to get used to as it happens a lot! No matter how well behaved your teenager might be, they will have no problem getting cheeky when they want to and learning to deal with it is hard.
Luckily, here at Family Friendly HQ, we have lots of experience in dealing with teenagers.
Here are some tips on dealing with cheeky teens.
Keep calm
If your teenager is being offensive, the best thing you can do is keep calm and try to figure out what is wrong with your teen. Usually, teenagers get cheeky when they are frustrated, annoyed or moody about something but that doesn’t mean they have the right to take it out on you.
Keep calm and ask your teenager what is wrong and go from there. If they don’t want to talk about it give them some space and go back to them later.
Understand that it is the behaviour, not the person
Sometimes when your teenager gets cheeky it is hard to not take it personally. As a parent, it is important to remember that their behaviour is exactly that, a behaviour. Though it is bad, we know that all humans behave less than wonderfully at some point in our lives.
This is a fact of life, so while you may feel hurt or upset, put the hurt aside and know that it is only your teenager’s behaviour and it isn’t them.
Build on your relationship
To stop moments of cheekiness and arguments, consider spending more time with your teenager to improve your relationship. While it doesn’t mean your teenager's cheekiness will disappear overnight, it does mean you both will be less likely to take offence and not let it damage your relationship.
If you have time do things together and you are both getting along nicely, speak honestly about their bad behaviour sometimes and why it hurts you.
Avoid nagging
Easier said than done but nagging your teenager is going to cause them to revert to cheekiness. While sometimes nagging is warranted, it is better to pick your battles. Your teenager may not clean their room properly but accept that they are not going to come to any harm because of it.
Choose things to talk to your teenager about that really matter like exam results or schoolwork but stop short of overly nagging as it will push your teenager away.
Drop the sarcasm and hurtful comments
Parents naturally want to hit back when their teenager gets cheeky and with sarcasm, an easy comeback can cause things to get out of hand with hurtful comments.
Yes, your teenager will usually instigate arguments and it may be over nothing at all, but you need to remain in a position of authority while also remembering that you are a mature adult.
That means not snapping or becoming drawn into sarcasm and often hurtful comments that stay with families forever.
The good news is this phase usually passes quickly.
