So what happens when your sweet little boy or girl suddenly turns into a *gasp* teenager?  Hormones are running rampant and you can’t imagine where this attitude is coming from?  Don’t panic!  Stay calm, they can smell your fear.  Really, it’s just the natural order of things.   Biologically, this child is hard wired to push the boundaries of his little world.  You are basically the only authority he answers to directly and it’s your job to show him how the world works.  Of course that’s every parent’s job, but with homeschooling families, the responsibility lies solely with you.  (As does every other responsibility – but we like it that way, don’t we?)

After a few really upsetting events where my authority was challenged and I was spoken to in a very rude manner (I’m really understating the situation here), I came up with a few ideas that seem to be helping us.  I thought I’d share them here in the spirit that a burden shared is a burden halved (or whatever that phrase is).

• Always maintain your authority, you’re his parent – not his friend
• Establish your boundaries and then maintain them.
• Keep them busy – bored children=trouble seeking children
• Give them some wiggle room; they need to be in charge of something
• Even at this age, they still want to hang out with you. Do something fun
• Let them talk  Even when you don’t have the time, or you’re exhausted, or you just     can’t be pulled in one more direction.  Let them talk, you might be surprised at how entertaining they can be.
• Know that they’re mature enough to handle the fact that Mom is a person too and as such has the right to a quiet evening, or to watch a movie alone, or to have a telephone conversation in private.  They can handle it, really.

This can be a very trying time for a parent, but it can also be extremely rewarding to see the child that you’ve nurtured, turning into a respectful, articulate, caring young man or woman.  Hang on, we’ll get there.

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