IWP
Prompt number six.
Anya Keller 812
Rebellion is important in a teenager’s life. When a teenager “rebels”, they have the urge to do whatever they want to do. They want to fight the power- their parents. They don’t want any instruction whatsoever. It can be beneficial to them and their parents- if It isn’t let out of hand. Teens need to learn how to be independent and how to make the right decisions. Their parents need to learn to accept the fact that their child isn’t five anymore. Rebellion can be painful for both but It can turn out to be a really important phase later in life.
Rebellion is a chance for the parents to grasp the concept that their child is growing up. An overprotective parent leaves no room for the teen to explore and learn from their mistakes. Let’s say that the parent doesn’t let her daughter go anywhere in the city by themselves after 7:00pm. The teen really wants to go to a movie at 7:00pm with her friends. The teen is reassuring the parent that they will be fine and telling him/her that she knows how to be careful. The parent should quickly tip the teen on safety precautions but doesn’t freak out about it. Later, the kid comes back safely from their first time out at night. The parent realizes that their child is responsible and is more relaxed about it the next time it comes up. That’s how the parent needs to listen to the child.
When kids rebel, they have an opportunity to learn from experience. Let’s say a parent and her daughter have an argument a few days later. The daughter is going to go to an afternoon movie with her friends. The mom want’s the daughter to wear a sweater for two reasons: she thinks that her dress straps are too short and that mainly, she will be cold at night. The daughter storms out without a sweater. When the movie is over and everyone leaves, the daughter is freezing. She is rebelling because she doesn’t want to do anything that her mom tells her to do. In that case, the daughter needs to learn to listen to her mother. Rebellion isn’t a reason to reject every single idea that your parents come up with. Your parents have been alive longer then you have. Sometimes, surprisingly, they’re right.
If you have a balance of rebellious child and concerned parent, rebellions can be very helpful. The teen needs to learn to respect their parents ideas. The parent needs to respect the child's growing independence. Rebellion isn’t fun but it’s worth it. Some kids need a force to push against. A little bit of the parent’s input to guide their teen’s rebellion is the perfect combination.
