Getting caught off guard by the emotional drama of your teen's life can be unsettling. Unsuspecting parents, sitting down for a relaxing night of TV can be rocked by the swear laden screaming tirade heard coming from the vicinity of their teen's bedroom. Here are some possible causes:
- Their phone dropped on the floor, and it pissed them off
- They hate doing their homework, and their text book fell on the floor and it pissed them off.
- You asked them a question, any question, and it pissed them off.
- They want to go out and wear their favorite pair of jeans which are scrunched up in a ball in the corner of the room stained with the ketchup from the burger they ate last weekend. Of course it is your fault the jeans are stained, in the corner of their room, and unwashed. They are pissed off.
- They open the refrigerator and there are no more bottles of their favorite, juice, soda, water. You are a terrible parent for not keeping all their supplies up and they are pissed off.
Your strategy is to not contribute any more fuel for this raging fire. It may have nothing really to do with you, for a change, but you might have been the last person to speak, and was the spark that set the firestorm off. Rather than letting your feelings get hurt, or get mad because their anger is now focused on you, just give them a shrug, and in the calmest voice you can muster a: " I get you are frustrated, let me know if there is any way I can help" and then leave them alone. Nothing good will come of getting pulled into this probably short-lived tantrum. And frankly, that really is what it is. It just needs to run it's course, without your interference. As long as doesn't get bigger, it will probably be over by dinner.
