News, Advice, and Tips for Parenting Teenagers

It's an assumption every parent makes: You figure out that your first child is easily distracted by toys when he's about to push buttons on the DVD player -- or her temper tantrums can be calmed by the right kind of music -- and you think that since it worked for the first kid, you already have the answer when your second child does the same thing.

Of course, it rarely works out that way. Columnist Karen Utley expounded on this dilemma in the May 26 edition of Oregon's Statesman-Journal newspaper

I know a dad whose oldest daughter always laughed at his jokes. Whatever her trouble -- from toddler tantrums to the trauma of teen angst -- he always could relieve the tension and restore her good temper by tickling her sense of humor. Her little sister, on the other hand, didnt think Dad was quite so funny; she interpreted his hilarity as teasing that was directed at her.

The resulting misunderstandings and hurt feelings on both sides threatened to permanently damage their relationship.

Though most parents know in their heads that every child is different, the reality -- lived out in a second child who is completely unaffected by previously successful disciplinary tactics -- often comes as a surprise. But a parent who figured out the best way to raise one child has a proven track record, and can certainly figure out the second ... and third.

Has your child exceeded your ability to provide structure, guidance, and supervision? If so, a private therapeutic boarding school for teens such as The Academy at Swift River may have the answers you and your family have been looking for.

Labels: parenting_styles

Posted By: Aspen/CRC