By Janet Taylor
Publisher, Bellevue Reporter
It’s a lovely springtime Sunday afternoon and you are relaxing with your spouse on the deck sipping a delicious glass of iced tea. The phone rings. It’s the manager of a local discount store. Your teenager has just been caught shoplifting and you are to go to the store immediately to deal with your child, the police and the store manager. How do you deal with your teenager when you get home?
We know how challenging the life of a parent can be. Well, I know how tough it can be; especially those teenage years when your 15-year-old believes she can run her own life and considers you the dumbest thing on earth.
Raising my teenage daughter was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. At some point, you start doubting your ability as a parent, you wonder if the values you have lived and instilled in your kids ever made it past their ears. You hope they make it.
During those years, I used every resource I could to help me communicate, listen, understand, discipline and keep on loving. I wanted to talk with other parents. I needed to know if I was the only one on the planet struggling; why the indifference from my teenager.
With this in mind, we have decided to add something different to our monthly Parenting feature in the Bellevue Reporter. Call it interactivity.
Each month we will pose a question or two about behavior situations that come up with your kids. Then you, a parent or maybe even a kid who wants to throw their two cents in can answer the question. We want you to tell us how you would handle the situation or tell us your experience in dealing with it. We will publish unduplicated answers, as long as they are appropriate.
Maybe you’ll find another approach to dealing with the problem, perhaps you’ll find out that you’re not alone. Hopefully, we’ll all learn something.
Send your idea or experience on how deal with this month’s question to:
Editor
Parenting Question
Bellevue Reporter
919 124th Ave NE, #104
Bellevue, WA 98005
Please keep your responses to 75 words or less.
Situation of the month:
It’s a lovely springtime Sunday afternoon and you are relaxing with your spouse on the deck sipping a delicious glass of iced tea. The phone rings. It’s the manager of a local discount store. Your teenager has just been caught shop lifting and you are to go to the store immediately to deal with your child, the police and the store manager. How do you deal with your teenager when you get home?
