Every parent would love to think their teens are perfect and respect them. But, truth be told, that’s probably not true. Parents especially feel their children aren’t perfect when teens talk back. If it’s happened to one parent, it’s most likely happened to many more. What is a parent to do?
Parents don’t often realize the cause of talking back. For a teen, they may feel frustrated or powerless in a situation. They feel their only recourse is to talk back. They may say ‘you’re not being fair to me’which is totally different than saying harmful things to you which may be considered verbal abuse.
Usually a schoolyard bully is a child, often bigger than their peers, who uses their size as a means to manipulate and take advantage of other children. Often the bully senses the vulnerability of other students and capitalizes on those feelings. They try to gain control of other children by use of intimidation and sometimes violence.