How to handle teenage manipulation and disrespect
Teens often use emotional threats, condescension, and dramatics to test boundaries and get their way. This leaves parents feeling hurt, dismissed, and unsure how to respond without making the conflict worse.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1ignoring the manipulationDid this help you?
- 2letting them argue without interveningDid this help you?
- 3Reading parenting and adolescent psychology books like UntangledDid this help you?
- 4Finding quiet moments of connection like going to the moviesDid this help you?
- 5Communicating openly and asking if parents inadvertently caused hurtDid this help you?
- 6Reframing teenage behavior as big toddler emotions requiring patience and graceDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“My son (17) just told me that if I put up cameras in the living room that he will never see me again when he turns 18.”source ↗
“He tries to manipulate me to get his way and acts like he’s being mistreated when he absolutely is not. I’m kind of at a loss.”source ↗
“In the last year or two though, she has been disrespectful to my wife - her mom, (and me occasionally) more and more.”source ↗
“It’s more condescension, dismissiveness, taking us for granted, being distant, etc.”source ↗
“It seems like she treats his family better than us lately, which may be the most hurtful thing.”source ↗
“I guess I just want to know how others handle this behavior?”source ↗
“Why do teenage girls need to wrap themselves up in everybody else’s drama? All I wanted to do was watch some college football. Ended up searching for her runaway friend, finding her friend, dealing with the cops who were also looking for her runaway friend squaring that fiasco up and definitely not enjoying a beautiful what should have been a relatively light lifing kinda day. I’m tired boss.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 6How to deal with manipulative and controlling parents
- 6Why is my teenager being so mean and distant?
- 8How to deal with a 12-year-old's constant bad attitude
- 11How to handle a child hanging out with bad influence friends
- 5How to handle a child who constantly demands attention and talks nonstop?
- 7How do you talk to teenagers who are always on their phones?