When hard times roll through in your life with children and teens, sometimes the only thing parents can do is hang on and ride them out.
Few of us as parents get an easy path to walk is this journey of raising children. Some have kids with health issues that take them to the brink of life and death, and other teens will develop a desire to risk it all in their own death wish. Somewhere in the middle are those who have a crumbling relationship with their youngster that is nothing but yelled words of hate and slammed doors.
How to respond, not react
Reactions generally happen without any conscious thought or consideration, emerging from our subconscious mind. The way we react doesn’t come from our conscious decision, but rather from our instincts and learned behaviours. We are merely allowing our instincts to take charge without considering the implications. In essence, we do not have much control, if any. But don’t worry, this isn’t as strict sentencing as it sounds.