Parenting is one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences. Throughout your child’s life, you will both be on a continuous journey of self-growth and discovery and the opportunities to learn more about the world and humanity are endless. As wonderful as these experiences are, there’s no denying that your patience will be put to the test many times. It may feel that your time parenting your child has been the most turbulent, but once your little one reaches their teenage years you may come to realize how easy you had it before. There is so much to consider when supporting your teen throughout their development into adult years, and each parent needs to work out how to approach this sensitive relationship. However, an essential element of these interactions needs to be a clear setting of appropriate boundaries. Here’s why this is so important.
Teenagers Love to Rebel
If you can think back to when you were a teen, you can hopefully recall that desperate urge to rebel against authority figures, in particular your parents. This is a natural aspect of growing up, but it can inevitably lead to some difficult situations and tense arguments. Setting boundaries means you can outline certain rules that aren’t okay to break, which can help give your teenager a guide to their behavior.
Helps Them Learn Independence
Without boundaries, your teenager won’t know which things are deemed unacceptable. This leads to them acting however they like, until you let them know they’ve crossed the line. If your boundaries are pre-set, then this gives them a chance to keep their behavior in check and to have an idea of how you might respond to their rebelling.