How to Understand A Teenage Son
A grunt or a shrug of the shoulders makes you wonder if you understand your teenage son. Parenting teenage boys can be quite different from girls, caused in part by the difference in emotional and physical development during teen years.
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Instructions
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Make sure your son sees your emotions as they relate to him: love, approval, disapproval, happiness or encouragement. While his face may not betray any emotion, he does seek it from you.
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Observe his sleeping and eating patterns. Many teenage boys overbook themselves with sports, school, work and a social life and do not get enough sleep. After infancy, this is the time of life when they need the most sleep.
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Remember he is not a younger version of his father. He is not yet an adult. The teenage brain is not fully formed until late teen years and sometimes into the early twenties.
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Communicate at the right time. Think about the times you had a good conversation, and look for trends. It might be in the car, after dinner, after school or in the flush of a team victory-not first thing in the morning.
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Set boundaries. Teenage boys may chafe at rules, but they actually do need them and want them. Make sure they understand the boundaries, and emphasize safety and the law as reasons if your son challenges you.
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Learn about the things that interest him. Television shows about wrestling or thriller movies may not be your thing, but they are his world. If nothing else, it gives you an opening topic of conversation.
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Look at the world he lives in. He is working through his place in the world, trying to understand girls for the first time and dealing with school and other pressures. It's a lot to carry around.
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Tips & Warnings
A lack of interest in conversation once in a while is likely not much more than your son has nothing to say. Take it for what it is.
Boys tend to respond to simple declarative sentences. Start with those. If they want more, they'll ask.
Know his friends. Talk to them. When your son is out of the room they may just offer up something interesting.
Talk to other parents and to teachers. They may see your son differently and can offer insights.
What works for a while may stop working eventually. Start over again. He is changing all the time.
