Parent Thinking Space

The Teenage Meltdown! How do I get them to calm down and do what I need them to do?

She walks in the door her heart pounding. What will I do for dinner? What do I have in the fridge? What do I want? What is quick? I should have a meal plan, why don’t I have a meal plan, oh well I can’t think about that now. She trips over as she walks through the kitchen. Ahhh why can’t people put things away. They’re old enough now they could be cooking their own dinner. Maybe I do too much for them.

“Kids! Come here right now I need you to unpack the dishwasher, help out around here and at least look after your own stuff.” Silence. No one comes. She runs upstairs and sees eyes glued to their phones. She is frustrated but manages to calmly ask them to get off their phones and do what they have been asked to do. One starts yelling “What mum, it’s not my turn do the dishwasher! You don’t understand what I am going through! I hate you! I hate you all” and slams the door into the bedroom. You look for the other child, he seems to have quietly escaped the gunfire of words into his room to continue what he was doing on his phone.

Alone again. Mum’s heart is pounding. Click on the video below to find ways to bring calm when the teenage storm of emotions hit.

Click here for the Managing Parent Stress Tip Sheet

What’s next? In the example used in the video the young people were on devices. Technology is a new challenge for parents. Click here to go back to Parent Thinking Space for Thinking Space about emotional meltdowns and technology use.