Being the parent of a teenager can be an adventure — especially when he is big and angry. I got some terrific advice on coping with my son from Dr. Robert Epstein — author of Teen 2.0 — and wrote a piece for GreatSchools.net on how putting that advice into practice worked out for us.
Check it out:
The wilderness transformed my son
What happens when a desperate mom helps her unhappy teen by sending him away? Nothing short of a small miracle.
My son, Cole, was an angry teen. I’m not sure how he got so angry or what he was angry about. But, from my point of view, he went from a sweet, intelligent boy with an unstoppable curiosity to an angry, unproductive young man overnight.
Everything I’ve read about anger and depression in teens told me that the adolescent brain is not yet mature, that teens are different animals from adults. Their brains aren’t finished. It seemed as if the only thing parents can do is keep their kids safe and wait for the crazy years to pass, as everyone who has survived it assured me would happen.