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Health & Fitness

How well do you know your teenage son?

How Well Do You Know Your Teenage Son?

Raising a teenage son is a challenge for a lot of parents. But it will be made more difficult when parents over manage their teenage sons life, act controlling, or aren’t engaged in their life at all. These things will lead to a strained relationship between parent and son which will make it harder to find out the true person their teenage son really is.

When parent and son have a strained relationship, it’s very common for parents to regularly be frustrated with their teenage sons because they might have become distant or don't communicate.

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“I don’t get it…he doesn’t talk!”

If your son isn’t talking to you or is distant, the reason might be that you’re showing no interest in your son’s life or you yet to find what your son is truly passionate about to talk about it with him.

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But keep in mind; it’s also very common and normal for a teenager to want to separate from their parents because they want to create their own identity. Being reserved and not wanting to share feelings or thoughts is really ok and typical (more on this later).

So how can parents establish a strong relationship with their teenage son?

Simply start by being nurturing.

Getting to know someone and creating a trusting relationship means spending quality time together. It’s important to listen to their ideas and feelings without criticism. The same goes with your teenage son. If a parent criticizes their sons ideas and is forced to do things he has no desire to do, it will be very difficult for the son to be open. The son will feel controlled and judged.

And, when a teenager has different perspectives, opinions, and actions opposed to his parents … it can become very challenging for a parent to relate. A lot of times a parent might have a different idea of what they want for their son opposed to what the son wants for himself.  

In this situation it’s important to raise your teenage son with an open minded and patience.

Remember, it is ok for your son to have different ideas and feelings that are opposite of yours. I think it’s a good idea for parents to challenge themselves by embracing and engaging the ideas the son has. Also, trust that he will figure out what is right and wrong in his own way. But, again, this is easier said than done. Asking a parent to sit back a little to allow their son to find his interests and make mistakes on his own can be difficult. This takes patience, trust and staying engaged.  

A few ways to stay engaged in your teenage sons life is by simply asking questions. A few easy questions are:

 “What is your favorite thing to do?” “What makes you happy?” “How do you learn best?” “What are you afraid of”? “What makes you angry?” “What’s your favorite topic in school?”

Also, don’t be afraid to go more in-depth with a question. An easy way to do this is to start a question or continue after a question with the phrase, “tell me more…” Only continue to go further in-depth with if both of you and your son are comfortable to do so.

Asking questions can go a long way and can be an opening to an opportunity for a positive relationship with your teenage son.

So, after reading this article, how well do you know your teenage son?





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