Out Of Control Teens – Do you kick them out?
Sometimes parents feel like they have no choice, but to eject an out of control teen from the home. Even some professionals who deal with children recommend it, but is it the right answer? Do these children who are banished from their homes grow up to be responsible adults?When our kids get out of control, it can seem like our only hope is to force our children to leave our home. Even professional counselors often advise that if children don’t respect the house rules and all options are exhausted, then children should consequently be removed from the home.
There may be situations where this is required, especially when your out of control teen is endangering the lives and safety of other family members, but it’s important to remember your teenager is still a child and needs your protection. And even more importantly, if you have not identified the underlying problem in your child’s behavior and attempted to help them resolve it, you may feel as though you’ve failed your child.
Throwing an out of control teen out of the home really should be a last resort and be reserved for times when family members lives are in danger. Other instances might include drug abuse or alcohol abuse that has gone so far, parents simply need to stop enabling the dangerous behavior. If you feel you are in any of these types of situations, definitely seek the help of a qualified and appropriate counselor.
In most cases, when a teenager will not listen to or follow the house rules, it is not simply the fault of the teenager. Communication is a two-way street and, as parents, we need to unsure we are able to communicate with our teenagers appropriately.
Parents need to take responsibility for their role in the breakdown of the family relationship. Opening the lines of communication and getting to know your child isn’t going to happen overnight. You need to dedicate yourself to fixing your relationship and then other thing will start to fall into place.
Additional Resources:
Visit Out of Control Teen to learn more about how you can help a teen that shows signs of trouble.
Good Answer. Just a note for parents to remember WHEN they might get to that last resort of “kicking them out” per say. Its important to relay to your teen that there behaviour will no longer be tolerated, and that this is their home and you would like to have them back based on the terms of agreement and repect you expect of them, such as drugs are not allowed in this home, I expect to go back to school after councelling or AADAC program is completed (as samples). Then you have a clear message and terms of expectation of your home…and councelling for all parties involved is an important ingedient for rebuilding relationships.
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