What causes so many parent-teen relationships to turn “bad?”

Tweet

There are several different answers to this question. The first one is that during adolescence, teens are seeking independence. This causes a change in the existing parent-child relationship because teens are trying to break away from their parents (Tobin 3). The second reason is that parents know that how a teen turns out is a reflection as to how good they are as people and parents (“Teenage Criminals” 1) This causes parents to try to control as many of the aspects as they can, but as the child enters adolescence, they realize that they can’t grow into adults without taking control of their lives. In response, teens simply rebel, stop asking for guidance, and fight for control to prove that they are their own person. This results in a very difficult parent-teen relationship.