There is nothing worse than trying to argue with a smaller version of yourself. The trouble is that they grow up and become bigger versions – who you still argue with! Teenagers rebel against boundaries and rules, and yet rules and boundaries are what they need to function. Despite the attitude, teenagers beg to be parented. They may give off an air of defiance saying that they don’t need anyone telling them how to behave or what to do, and yet they wish for their parents to give them rules to live by. You can see it in their behavior, and research like this proves it

When it comes to your teenagers, rules need to be mutually agreed and enforced rather than dictated or left without follow up. Sitting down with your teens to decide on the rules of the house makes you all mutually accountable for your actions. Agreeing on the rules of the house together is not always easy, but work to find solutions to common problems that everyone can live with. Boundaries must then be set for peaceful co-existence.Below, you’ll find some of the most common house rules for teenagers and how to enforce them in a way that satisfies everyone in the house.

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  • Curfew

No teenager likes to be told what time to be home, but if you have a teenager who is going to high school, they need to have a curfew so that they can sleep well for school. Sit with your teenager and agree on a time they need to return home, and agree this based on their grades and how much sleep they need. The worse their grades, the earlier the curfew and they can work to later their curfew. This gives them some scope for improvement.

  • Experimentation Part 1

Almost every single kid out there will experiment with drugs in some way or another, and you can choose two ways to handle this. You can flip out at what you find out about them, or you can recommend blonde hash and other options to mellow them out with their friends. Most parents wouldn’t recommend their kid smokes anything, but you can choose to educate yourself on what will be harmful to your eighteen-year-old and decide to keep an eye on them instead of punishing experimentation. It will happen, but how you handle this will make a difference. The key is honesty between all parties.

  • Experimentation Part 2

Alcohol is going to be offered at parties under 21, whether you want it to be or not. The critical piece here is the education that you give your teenager about the risks of drinking and what to expect. You can talk them through limits, the fact that they can text and call you for help at any time and how to help their drunk friends. Drinking will happen, but you can ease the damage with education.

All teenagers want is your help without your judgement. If you give that to them, you can foster mutual respect and patience that will make those teen years far simpler.