How does a parent deal with teenage rebellion?
The puberty stage is the rapid physical growth of bones and muscles and psychological changes, culminating in the sexual maturity of bones and muscles. It begins from 9-12 for girls and 11-14 for boys.
One of the major changes, when a child enters puberty is teenage rebellion in various forms. But the cause isn’t just sinful nature but brain changes because of synaptic pruning. Hence it’s part of normal outcomes.
1. Understand brain development has something to do with
Synaptic pruning is making them smarter
The teenage brain undergoes synaptic pruning, eliminating extra neurons to enhance neural transmission efficiency. This process starts at birth and becomes more pronounced during the teen years.
In short, synaptic pruning causes the brain to be more efficient and adaptable and encourages mature thinking. However, it’s not the same for everyone.
| Behavior | Learnings |
|---|---|
| They begin to be conscious of how they look. | Always compliment them verbally. |
| Heightened sexual desire and emotions. | Encourage more sports and physical activities. |
| Increased brain capacity to understand and reason. | Allow them to experience consequences. |
| Increased desire for adventure | Invest in a family vacation and their interest. |
| Emotional vulnerability and rebellion | Stop talking when they are stressed. Provide a healthy diet to boost brain activity, and always pray for them. |
A little knowledge leads to rebellion
The smarter a kid think may cause him to be proud and assume he knows all things. Hence, there’s rebellion. That is why a child has to learn submission to the authority before age seven.
If a parent has failed to discipline a child with submission to authority, the only thing parents can do is pray for the child that God will grant them repentance.
2. They’re also more sensitive, be gentle
Puberty enables better reasoning. Therefore, they seem to be sure of what they know or what they want. The problem is that when parents disagree or do not give in to their wants, they feel bad.
They are also more sensitive, which means that if we deal with their rebellion in anger, it may cause them to even be more rebellious.
- While teens may become less impulsive, they often become more sensitive and vulnerable to the words and actions of their parents.
- Parents should engage teens in conversations about adult reasoning, as they are capable of handling analytical thinking and may benefit from a better understanding of their parents’ perspectives.
3. Don’t treat every bad mood as rebellion
Just as it is a learning curb for parents to understand kids who rebel, the same way is true for teenagers who have no idea what being mature is.
Although there are kids who “mature” much earlier, a rebellious attitude is more evident in boys because of their genetic makeup.
Although teenagers have better emotional processing abilities, it is not necessarily mature. Conflicting wants and needs can make it difficult for them to submit.
A child may also be open to demonic influences. Their sinful nature is usually evident at this age. It does not mean they are possessed but tempted to rebel or dwell on anger.
Thus, their spiritual well-being should be developed through discipleship rooted in a positive relationship.