Training Troubled Teenage Boys

Believe it or not, there are some commonalities boys who are prone to get in trouble have in common!  Let's take a look at a few of the things you need to cut out of your son's life if you want to see improvements in his behavior!   Music Music has a stronger influence on behaviors than most people realize! For that matter, a lot of parents know the music their teens listen to is hard on the ears, yet instead of taking the time to listen to the lyrics they're filling their minds with, they tell them to turn it down, to listen to it on earbuds, or to keep it in their bedrooms. Parents, you need to find out who your teen's favorite music artists are and then do some research on the lyrics. What's the song about? Is it about somebody doing drugs, going to jail, cheating on their boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/etc? Is it talking about somebody getting drunk, killing somebody, being depressed, discouraged, or even suicidal?  Everyone's standards on music are different, ...

  He's never going to tell you this, but your son wants to know that you love him enough to set boundaries, and to enforce them. With that being said, the purpose of the expectations you set for him ought to be to help him become the kind of responsible, caring adult he should be a few years from now. Simply saying, "Would you behave yourself!" isn't going to cut it! Nor is hollering "You're grounded for a month" in the heat of the moment and then allowing him to regain his privileges within 48 hours. You need to say what you mean, and mean what you say - and put it in writing!   Step 1: Figure Out What's Important Your family dynamic is different than everyone else's. I'm sure we would all agree on some basic rules that should apply to every teenage boy. He shouldn't be staying out all hours of the night. He shouldn't be getting physical with anyone in the household. He shouldn't be destroying property. You wouldn't dispute a...

No two troubled boys are exactly alike. Let me give you a few examples of struggling teens: (These are made-up names and circumstances that represent different personality-types) Robby is 15-years old. He was adopted from a Ukrainian orphanage at the age of two. His adoptive father, that he loved dearly, passed away when he was seven. Robby is extremely self-centered. He doesn't think about anyone else. His thoughts, opinions, and feelings are all that matters. Robby has trouble making and keeping friends and doesn't understand why nobody likes him. Josh is 14-years-old. His mother was a drug addict. When had involved in so many intimate relationships around the time she got pregnant with Josh that she had no idea who the father was. She tried to raise the baby, but her addiction issues caused her to lose him to the state on multiple occasions. Josh spent most of his preteen years in foster care but was adopted when he was 12. He's constantly stealing, lying, getting into f...

When it comes to troubled teenage boys, the world attempts to handle them with band-aids. "Let's give them a diagnosis of ADD , ADHD , ODD , or RAD . Let's put them on medication . Let's take them out of school once a week and have them see a therapist so they can get stressed out even more when they get behind on their school work." There are other options than medication and mental health therapy. Parenting troubled boys can be as prickly of a situation as growing a cactus in Antarctica. Sadly, in a lot of cases, the folks who should be supporting the adult(s) who are struggling to correct a defiant teen often come under much scrutiny. School teachers accuse them of not giving their children their meds before school or of allowing them to stay up too late. Friends and family tell the parents they created the monster and now they just have to deal with it. They get criticized for not having enough rules or not providing enough discipline and they get criticized...