Handling a preteen's constant bad attitude
Parents struggle to cope with sudden hostility, extreme moodiness, and persistent annoyance from their preteen child as puberty begins. They find it difficult to communicate or spend time together without sparking arguments or walking on eggshells.
What people tried
5 itemsEvery workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Grounded or confiscated electronic devices and screensDid this help you?
- 2Stopped forcing planned family activities and gave the child spaceDid this help you?
- 3Put away personal devices to pay attention when the child initiates contact late at nightDid this help you?
- 4Engaged with the child on their level by taking interest in their hobbiesDid this help you?
- 5Offered choices and clear options rather than demanding cooperationDid 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 daughter is 11 and she's been in this FULL SWING.”source ↗
“Genuinely feeling like I cannot win with my 12yr old son’s attitude and constant state of annoyance.”source ↗
“I’m truly so tired of all 3 of us going to bed angry after spending the day walking on eggshells around each other”source ↗
“When her attitude started getting sucky, I was really upset and offended”source ↗
“I wanted to yeet my kid into the sun on a semi-regular basis from about 11-13.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 11Why does my child behave at school but act out at home?
- 11How to handle a child hanging out with bad influence friends
- 16What to do when your 7-year-old defies teachers and disrupts class