It can be hard to remain calm, but if we practise self care, serenity is much easier to attain.
Adolescents aren’t the only ones who struggle with developmental shifts. Most parents’ development into midlife coincides with their child’s development into adolescence. Many of the difficulties that parents have with their adolescent can actually have a lot to do with what they are experiencing developmentally. Midlife can be a time of heightened introspection and self-evaluation – throw a challenging teen into the mix, and you have quite a recipe for struggle.
The good news is, whenever you experience a positive breakthrough for either yourself or your teen, it tends to have a reciprocal effect. Likewise, though, you can expect to have a harder time personally when your young person is having a harder time. The reciprocal nature of these developmental challenges and breakthroughs can shine a light on the deep connection that still exists between us and our teens, even if we sometimes feel we’re losing them. Moreover, it gives us a clue as to the importance of caring for ourselves as well as our teens – when we tend to the developmental needs of either, both will prosper.
