Updated on October 1, 2020

Dealing with a Hostile Teenager – Tips for Parenting

Hostile behavior is among the most challenging issues many parents face when dealing with their teens or children. Teenage hostility takes on many forms and degrees of severity and each case needs to be handled in a different manner. Here are a few strategies that many parents will find useful for dealing with such aggressive behavior with their children.

What Kind of Boundaries Do You Have Set as a Parent?

In many instances, hostile behavior can be rooted in a lack of understanding between parent and teen. By beginning to properly set up boundaries with your child you can take a very important step toward solving hostility issues. Among the leading causes of behavior issues can be a lack of this understanding. In many cases, teenagers are not clear about expected behavior boundaries and expectations. This guessing game of behavior based limitations can cause frustration and in many cases, aggressive behavior turns. Take the time to talk with your teen in order for both of you to clearly understand where the boundaries are set.

Is There a Deeper Problem at Play?

Understanding all of the conditions that may surround hostile teen behavior can be very important in learning what the next step is. It is important to look at all of the environmental factors that can play a major role in aggressive behavior characteristics.

• Is there any underlying family or social issue that needs to be addressed?
• Does my teenager exhibit greater signs of possible problems?
• Does my child suffer from depression?
• Has something traumatic recently happened in my teen’s life?

Knowing the answer to questions like these can often time help you to understand where the hostile behavior may originate. Major changes in a child’s environment while growing up can lead to confusion and misunderstanding ultimately causes aggressive behavior. Make sure you are aware of shifts in the family environment. In difficult situations, take the time with your teenager to talk it through so they don’t feel like they are facing it alone.

Offering Relief, Not Stress to Your Teens Life

Taking the time and care to help your child understand that you are not the enemy can go a very long way. While discipline is generally required in raising any child, it is important to help them to understand its meaning. Creating an atmosphere of fear with your teen can lead to deeper, longer-term issues of resentment and hostile behavior. Teen hostility does not happen overnight.

Often times the signs of hostility show themselves in behavior patterns well after the initial internal aggressive thought pattern started. Taking the time throughout the entire development of your child, starting at very young age through teenage years, can be very effective in dealing with hostile teen behavior before it can even begin.