About Parenting Teens: Family Splitting Up Over Rude Teen?

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Parenting Teens Parenting Teens Teens Today Community Summer with Teens From Denise Witmer, your Guide to Parenting Teens Family Splitting Up Over Rude Teen? A mom on our forum seeks help: My 14 year old daughter is tearing my marriage apart with her step-dad. She is rude and won't listen to him. She has a smart mouth and cusses at him when she gets mad at him. Me and my daughter are really good friends and get along great. She does not want her step-dad at the home and does not like him one bit. All they do when he is around is argue. I love my husband of 5 1/2 years and my daughter. Me and my husband have a son together who just turned one. My husband has left me and taken our son to his mothers house. He doesn't want to raise our son in this environment and also keep being treated with disrespect by a 14 year old. They both seem happy how things are. (living apart). I'm not. How can I get everyone to get along so we can have a wonderful life together and love each other. I really don't know what to do! A forum member gives an insightful answer: You can't make them love each other. I don't think it is unreasonable to demand respect and decent behavior. Are you going to some sort of family counseling? It sounds as if you need consistent rules and behavior outlines for everyone - and you and your dh need to be on the same page when it comes to parenting your daughter. I agree that you don't want your daughter to split you apart, and you don't want to lose your dh and your son. (Is there anything else going on? - leaving for his mother sounds drastic, counseling might help you make sure there aren't other problems.) Denise's thoughts: I just want to add that your daughter may feel that she has the ability to be crass and rude with her step-dad because you and her are 'really good friends', instead of her knowing that there are consequences for that behavior that comes from fair and firm parenting. Family counseling would be able to help you with this too. Asking our community of parents: Have you faced this problem as a parent who is in a blended family? Please share your thoughts, advice and experiences in our comments area. Save Money by Extending the Life of Your Teen's Cell Phone According to the EPA, the life cycle of a cell phone is 18 months, when most cell phone plans that offer free or discounted phones are for 2 years. Therefore, it is important for teens to take care of their cell phones so you can extend its life for the full 2-year contract. Here are a six tips for you to help your teen do so. Summer Activities for Teens - Week Seven These summer activities for teens can be done individually, with friends or with the whole family. Each week has four different types of teen summer activities: Make This (Recipe), Craft This, Learn How and Get Out and Go! Each activity idea is fun for your teen. Check out week seven's summer activities for teens now. Best Tips for Parenting Teens in the Digital Age Today's parental worry about the Net, texting, MySpace, Facebook, etc. is a very real fear for parents. In 1998, I likened the internet to any alley or street in the world and then asked the community if they were going to let their teen walk down those streets alone. The answer I got from our active parents was a resounding "NO!" But what can you do to keep your teen safe and use the internet as a helpful tool for the whole family? Read on and see some tips from our parenting community. Parenting of Adolescents Ads Defiant Teen Step Parenting Parenting Kids Teen Stress Teen Rebellious Featured Articles   More from About.com Plan a Unique Vegas Wedding The minister, music and champagne are just the beginning -- why not get married aboard a helicopter or have a pirate swing in to deliver your rings? Arrrr! More> Join About.com's User Panel! Share your opinions and help us make About.com more relevant, informative and enjoyable to use. More> This newsletter is written by: Denise Witmer Parenting Teens Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Parenting Teens newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Must Reads How to Get Your Teen into College Is your teen confident? Find out now! How to Raise a Drug-Free Teen Help Your Teen Handle Peer Pressure Learn to Talk to Your Teen in 5 Days Advertisement