I think giving guidance to Teenagers is very dificult...

Hi friend, I think we must not give up in trying to guide teenagers. It is easier to do it with the ones who are close to our heart. The path of love is a good way to follow. I have great conversations with my teenage grandchildren. I don´t try to impose my points of view but rather give other ideas for them to ponder. My eldest grandson decided a while ago to use his hair in some horrible thing called dread locks. It belongs to the rasta culture that has nothing to do with us. I asked politely why he had done it and mildly said that what was the point of using that if there was no idea behind that. Teens love to shock their parents and I´m sure that hair is a way to be a rebel. But I could talk with him about different cultures and some of the uses od eath one. I think that, after some time so he does not feel pressured, he will come back to his previous nice hair and he will have thought a bit about reasons for dressing in one way or another. I respect their search for their own values while trying to widden their world with my experience. Take care!

Well I just turned 18, and I still consider myself very much a teenager, even though 18 is the legal age in Canada. I get what you mean. But the reason for this is, people cannot truely learn something from someone else's mistakes. We can not experience things through someone else. Teens need those experiences, need those mistakes. You can tell us the right way to do things, the best way to do things, and everything else there is to know about life. But we are our own people, regardless of our age, and we need to build our own lives based on our own choices, weither they are good or bad. We'll figure it out eventually, just like you adults did in the past. As for over confidence...well it's not really being over confident. I think its that we feel protected because we are under our parents care, which is how it should be. We do not yet have to face certain things in the world, our parents do it for us. At times we may feel indestructable, like "its never going to happen to me" ... but alot of adults feel that way too, just about different things. Don't get me wrong though, teenage life is very very difficult. I've dealt with alot in my 18 years, and no amount of advice could have helped or changed it. Some of it I have learnt from, and some I still struggle with. Remember, we are in a different mind set than you! It's really just a matter of misunderstanding...not being on the same page.

I have a teenage daughter in my home and it is very difficult for me to raise her and teach her the good ways of life. she seems to have a mind of her own and makes her own decisions regardless. I hope she will turn out well as an adult.

Almost all children, when they are really little, listen to their parents. Then as they get to the teen years it's a balancing act between hearing what parents are saying to them and wanting to experiencing life for themselves, establishing their own values and determining what kind of adult they want to be. When we grew up, our concerns were our friends and family, our world was the town we lived in within the country that existed around it. Own teens world is the globe, so much bigger in a mind-boggling way and so much to experience and think about. They are growing up with so much awareness of what is happening around the world, an awareness that most of us, their parents, did not have. Sometimes I'm not sure if I'd want to be a teen in today's world. Other times when I look at the opportunities that there are and will be available to them, I think that maybe it's not such a back thing. As parents, we all want to guide our children. We want them to benefit from our experiences that we've had, and we want to insulate them from making the mistakes that we did. Unfortunately, that's not possible. They need to experience for themselves, while we sit by frustrated that our guidance is ignored and afraid of what might become of them. You know what? They turn out fine, they really do. At some point in the future, when they are on their own or have their own families, when they call to ask for advice...then you know that the pendulum has swung back. They can see you as a resource for advice and information, and we can respect them as the adults that they've become.

If I interpret you correctly you ask, why teenagers often missunderstand the "wise words" of elders? I guess it lies within the young ones, the urge to see everything with their own eyes. And i guess that is right, because valuable experience can only be made by seeing for yourself. Have a nice day and happy mylotting :)

Yes I agree. Teens now act like they know more about life than adults. Yes there may be exceptions but I just notice this with close friends and other friends that there are some teens in the age of 13-15yrs old, is already pregnant even her friends in the same age bracket. I am jut wondering if they are just curious or they just want to feel like they can do whatever they want to do with their lives. Is it due to lack of guidance and education? What more will it be like for the next generation?

Hello Baluji it is not 'very' difficult, if one knows how to handle, i have taught two generations, the parents of my students were also my students one day too, yes it is is a bit difficult no doubt Bhuwan