Your teen’s new ability to appreciate and use sarcasm means they are entering a new era of brain development! Your child is moving from the literal to the abstract. For example, a younger child’s understanding of “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink” is very different from a teen’s interpretation.
Be an eParent®! Join a forum with your teen that is relevant to an interest your teen has and explore together.
For some parents the teenage years are their favorite. Conversations with teens are more in-depth, teens have interesting and sometimes different perspectives, and teens develop their own style of wit. This is a contrast to the very simplistic conversations parents had when their kids were in the preschool or elementary years. Parents may not enjoy some aspects of their teens newly discovered abstract thinking abilities. . . like arguing! Your teen is more adept in using logic and isn’t afraid to try it out on you. You may hear them saying things like “why do I need to keep my room clean when yours is a mess/it will just get dirty again/dirt builds my immune system?” Resisting the urge to argue back is difficult. Helping them find the balance between confrontation and constructive debate will help prepare them for adult life.
Check out 5 ways to (respectfully) disagree designed to help teens have more positive disagreements with parents, friends and others! (Try texting the URL to your teen.) And watch the 3-minute video Teens Talk About Family.
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Revised November 2018