I once heard a story from my father. He told me about an acquaintance of his and his son. Apparently the man had an "out of control" teenage boy who would not listen to reason. He went out at all hours of the night, drank, smoked, and pretty much did what he pleased. Needless to say, he was headed down the wrong path in life. His father often worried that he'd get into a bad car accident or something similar. Then one night, while the teenager was sleeping, his father chained him to his bed. Yikes, talk about tough love! The father didn't hit or abuse him in any other ways. He simply wanted to keep him out of trouble, and since the teen wouldn't listen, his father took these extreme measures. I thought this story sounded so bizarre. The funny part is that the father was never brought up on charges. Things were different back in the day and small towns had their own rules. Clearly this kid was a primary example of defiant teens. However, we can't all chain our out-of-control teenagers to their beds. Besides, their rooms stink bad enough as it is.
This is without a doubt a debatable topic. Not all parents know, nor do they agree on how to handle defiant teens. I had my experience with a rebellious teenager several years back. A close friend of mine had a 14 year old daughter that was out ridiculous. Imagine raising your child right, but suddenly he/she is having sex, drinking, sneaking out of the house and trying drugs; all at the tender age of 14. Not a pretty thought, huh? I felt so helpless as far as my friend was concerned. We spoke again and again about help centers and therapy for defiant teens. Finally he took his daughter to a psychiatrist and worked most of the issues out. Overall, this was a good remedy. So much has to do with communication.
You can acquire help for your defiant teens. There is NO reason to go this alone. Why prolong the agony? Often if these rebellious issues aren't resolved in the beginning, they grow worse as time passes. Don't let your defiant teens take you over and get out of control. Get assistance and work to keep your family intact.
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