Many parents have wondered how to deal with a 14-year-olds son’s attitude which is not surprising since at that age, children tend to start misbehaving.
When dealing with this, you need to take the approach of fixing this problem without using emotions because many parents will lash out at their children causing them to misbehave even more. A clear and calm mindset will serve you better than just acting out emotionally.
You want to fix this issue fast because if they are not disciplined early on, they will continue to possess an attitude as they grow older and it can cause them problems later on. Relationships will get ruined and arguments will happen with that type of behavior.
As parents, it is our job to make sure that they are well-behaved kids and not rude or disrespectful so with that being said, you will need to take the necessary steps to make sure your 14-year-old son does not have an attitude anymore.
At Home or School?
Does the 14 year old have an attitude at home, school, or both?
This is important to note because if he is having an attitude problem at school but not at home, it can be an easy fix. Since he does it only at school and not at home, this shows that he does not have the same respect for his teachers like he does with you, the parents.
A simple way to fix this problem would be to let his teachers have more control over his action. Meaning, they should be giving out more consequences like detention and writing standards during lunch. The need to have the same respect level as the parents for him not to have an attitude in class.
If the 14-year-old is having an attitude at home, this will be a bigger issue to deal with. By him doing that, he is not showing you respect and as a parent, that is the most important thing when it comes to raising kids.
You will need to regain authority and control the way the 14 year old son communicates with others. He should not be speaking this way even if another person is showing him attitude.
Identify When This All Started
The first step to take is to identify when did the 14-year-old son start developing an attitude. This is important because it will lead to the source of the attitude development which will lead to your answer on how to fix this problem.
Influence
Children growing up are innocent and don’t develop their personality until they start to understand intellectually what is around them. So as your son is growing up, he is developing and becoming who he is by the things he is consuming every day or the people that he is are around.
It is most likely that the 14-year-old son has gotten his attitude from either the things he hears, watches, or the people around him.
Sadly nowadays, many of the popular things that are broadcasted in the entertainment industry aren’t the best for character development and it has caused many teens to follow along which is why many parents are also dealing with this problem.
If you are noticing that your son is consuming bad content, it might be time to limit it and only allow him to listen or watch great positive content. It will be hard for them to transition because whenever someone gets hooked on to a part of the entertainment industry, it will be hard to pull them away especially if they are young children.
If you think the problem stems from his friends, His time should be limited with them because the people who he is around will influence his actions and if they are already making your son have an attitude, the situation will just get worse over time if you don’t contain it.
Another factor that might have caused this attitude to grow in him can actually stem from family and the people living at home. If he has siblings or even you, the parents, that show signs of an attitude, he will then think it is okay for him to do that too.
So make sure no one at home is also showing signs of an attitude because it can be the reason where he developed his from.
How to Deal with 14-Year-Old Son’s Attitude
1. Talk to Him
The first step before taking any action would be to have a talk with the 14 year old son.
Let him know that he is showing attitude and that it is not acceptable. Call out the times he has shown attitude whether it is was at school or home. He also needs to know that this will be his only warning to fix himself before he starts dealing with the consequences.
When talking to him, make sure you are firm with what you are saying. The reason he was showing attitude in the first place was because he did not have respect for the person which means he does not take them seriously. As a parent, you should not have to deal with this especially when your son is that age.
2. Ground Him
If the situation gets out of hand, it is time to implement consequences.
Grounding them would be the first way to deal with this behavior. No 14 year old should be having an attitude and think they can get away with it so every time he starts showing signs of unnecessary attitude again, you will need to ground him and take away anything he can use to have fun or be entertained. That means no TV, phone, or any other form of entertainment he is usually allowed to use.
You can also restrict him from going out and having fun with his friends.
When taking away anything he views as fun, he will do anything to regain that privilege which means he will have to straighten up his ways and lose the attitude completely.
3. Creative Punishment
One of the things you can also do is implement a creative punishment when dealing with this.
Many parents use these methods to put a creative twist on a punishment that their teen will surely hate and it makes them regret ever making a bad decision again. Click here for a guide on creative punishments you can give to a 14-year-old if they have an attitude.
Final Thoughts
When your 14-year-old son develops an attitude, you will need to take action before the situation becomes worse. It can be a headache to deal with especially if he has developed a very strong attitude towards you but with time and patience, you can diffuse the situation and get him back to being respectful.
The first step would be to identify where he developed this from, then you will talk to him and make him go through consequences if the problem gets worse. For more information about ways you can help your son break his attitude away, click here.