4 Adolescence 21 Teenagers behaving badly – How parents see it Read through the text below, highlight the important passages and then fill in the grid with arguments for both sides. When children become teenagers, they want to break away from their parents because they think that they need to be independent. This situation may be exciting for teenagers and also worrying, but this time is at least as confusing for them as it is for their parents. At times parents have the feeling that their son or daughter has changed so much that they fear they cannot communicate with their children any more. What worries parents most is the fact that many teenagers start hiding their private lives from them. Instead of talking about their school life or about their friends, teenagers start making up stories or do not even speak to them at all. One of the reasons might be that teenagers need to try out things which their parents would never allow them to do. Such risky behaviour can lead to enormous problems even though in most cases nothing really worrying happens. It may be that parents are so suspicious of their teenage children because they remember what they did when they were the same age. As teenagers see themselves as responsible adults, they cannot understand that their parents want to interfere. What follows are endless arguments about rules and the right behaviour, sometimes ending in fierce discussions and disrespectful behaviour on both sides. So, what is the best advice for parents of teenagers? The best way to deal with “problem” children is probably to relax and to wait until things have changed. Most teenagers do become responsible adults sooner or later, in spite of their parents’ attempt to educate them. Just give them time to find their own identity. What teenagers do or want to do What parents do or want to do • Teenagers want to break away from home. 3 5 10 15 20 Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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