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5 TIPS TO EASE PARENT-TEEN CONFLICT DURING QUARANTINE


PARENTING TEENAGERS IN GENERAL IS TOUGH, AND THEN WE WERE THROWN THIS COVID CURVE BALL WHERE THEY ARE TAKEN AWAY FROM THEIR FRIENDS, SPORTS, ACTIVITIES AND SCHOOL AND LOCKED IN THE HOUSE WITH THEIR PARENTS. NOT THE IDEAL SITUATION FOR MOST TEENAGERS.

I HAVE A 16-YEAR-OLD SON WHO ISN’T THRILLED ABOUT GOING TO SCHOOL TO SAY THE LEAST, BUT THIS QUARANTINE LITERALLY HAS HIM SAYING “I MISS SCHOOL”. THOSE ARE 3 WORDS THAT I NEVER THOUGHT WOULD COME OUT OF HIS MOUTH. BUT HERE WE ARE.

QUARANTINE LIFE HAS GONE PRETTY SMOOTHLY IN THE WATTS HOUSEHOLD, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN SOME POINTS OF TENSION AND FRUSTRATION BETWEEN ME, THE PARENT, AND MY TWO TEENAGERS. SHOCKER RIGHT…

BUT THROUGH THOSE STRUGGLES (THAT I’M SURE YOU’RE TRYING TO WORK THROUGH AS WELL) I HAVE COME TO THE REALIZATION THAT THERE ARE 5 THINGS THAT HAVE TAKEN MY KIDS’ AND MY EXPERIENCE DURING QUARANTINE FROM ONE OF FRUSTRATION, ANXIETY AND UNPRODUCTIVENESS TO AN EXPERIENCE THAT HAS THEM MORE PRODUCTIVE THAN EVER, HAPPY AND IS HELPING US TO BUILD AN EVEN STRONGER RELATIONSHIP.

I’M AT THE POINT WHERE MY SON IS LITERALLY GETTING UP ON HIS OWN AT 7AM TO GO ON RUNS AND GET HIS SCHOOLWORK DONE BEFORE 11AM. PARENT WIN!! I’M HERE TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT OF MY EXPERIENCE, OUR EXPERIENCE AS A FAMILY, AND GIVE YOU TIPS TO OVERCOME OUR SHARED “TEENAGER PARENT” STRUGGLES, FASTER THAN I DID!

WHAT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT IS THE THINGS THAT WE GO THROUGH AS PARENTS. THE UPS AND DOWNS, THE LOVE THAT WE HAVE FOR OUR KIDS, AND HOW WE HANDLE SITUATIONS WHEN THEY DISAPPOINT US, HURT US, LET US DOWN, WHATEVER YOU CALL IT.

I, PROBABLY LIKE YOU, HAVE BEEN STRESSED OUT LATELY! THIS LAST SUNDAY I HAD SET ASIDE SOME TIME TO SPEND QUALITY TIME WITH MY SON AND WAS REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO JUST KICKING IT WITH HIM, DOING SOME WORK ON HIS [BASKETBALL] GAME IN A LOW KEY ENVIRONMENT, AS A STRESS RELIEF FOR BOTH OF US.

FOR WHATEVER REASON, HE WASN’T IN THAT GROOVE, HE WASN’T IN THAT MOOD. WE WERE DOING SOME BASKETBALL WORK THAT I THOUGHT WAS RELAXED, IT’S SOMETHING THAT WE DO TOGETHER ALL THE TIME. IT WAS EASY AND HE WAS DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT THEN HE JUST KIND OF BROKE DOWN A LITTLE BIT. HE HAD A MELTDOWN, FROM THE STANDPOINT OF NOT BEING ABLE TO DO THE DRILL ANYMORE FOR WHATEVER REASON. A DRILL THAT HE’S SUCCESSFULLY DONE HUNDREDS OF TIMES BEFORE.