Hi – Sue Blaney here with your Parenting Tip from Parenting Teens Info.com

My tip this week is Recharge your batteries >>Listen

Patrice, mom of 3 teenagers, complained to me about one of her sons last week. She said “Everything is a struggle with him! He negotiates every point, he is difficult and obstinate and challenging every inch of the way. It’s simply exhausting!”

Some teenagers are like that…. And it can be exhausting for a parent. I think Patrice wanted me to tell her how to handle or fix her son… and there are strategies that she can use to improve her communication with him, but the point I want to make here is that sometimes parentings teenagers is simply exhausting. And you aren’t any good to them - or to you - if you are frazzled and worn down. You need to take care of yourself.

How might you do that? Well, for parents who feel like you are being beaten down by a relentless child, one of the best things you can do is find other parents you can talk to. So many parents feel alone in their experiences… but if you hear what other parents are living through you may feel very differently. By speaking with other parents you will develop a broader perspective on raising teenagers; you’ll see that the challenges you may face are often less about you, and more about where your teen is in his or her own development. And most likely you will find some humor and lighten things up.

It is also helpful to learn about temperament. Your child can have a very different temperament from you, and this can cause you to butt heads. Temperament is one’s predisposition - it is the lens through which you view the world. If you have a good understanding of temperament you will not only have a better understanding of that difficult child, you can develop strategies that make living with him a lot easier.

So knowledge helps. Friends and support helps. Humor and perspective helps.

And lastly, get a life. Find time in your life to pursue your interests and passions. Nobody is going to recharge your batteries for you. You need to take care of yourself. When you do you’ll be more equipped to deal with a difficult and challenging teen.

By the way, we offer a guide for your own parent discussion group that runs like a book group. Get together with your friends and discuss your parenting in a safe and supportive way. Learn what is normal teen behavior, take a temperament assessment and learn strategies to improve communication based on your temperament… and much much more. Here's a link to our video about the program and a free downloadable excerpt from the guide.

Thanks for subscribing to my 2 Minute Tips for parenting teens, til next week, I’m Sue Blaney.