A therapist has shared three things that she will never let her teenagers do, and they have caused a little bit of controversy.
Parenting teens is hard, probably the hardest of all the stages. Sure, the baby years and toddler tantrums are difficult, but when they are older and in search of independence, it’s a whole different ballgame. We have to let them go, a little, but still parent them and when they are out in the world alone, doing their own thing, we will still worry about them as much as we did the day we brought them home from the hospital.
And of course, we still have rules that our teens have to follow – rules that they will push against and probably break, but that’s just part of raising a teen. Isn’t it?!
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3 things a therapist will never let her teens do
Dr Brie is a family therapist who shares helpful advice and information for parents on social media and she has listed the things that she will never let teens do.
She has revealed three things she won’t let her teenagers do ‘under [her] roof’
- Have ‘untethered access’ to a mobile phone – Dr Brie says that in her home, phones must be put away at 9pm and they will not get it back until the next day. ‘A lot of teenagers stay up until 2,3,4 in the morning texting friends, doom scrolling social media and they do not have the ability to regulate themselves,’ says the therapist.
- Going in the car with newly licensed teenage drivers – In Ireland teens can get their license from 17 years old and Dr Brie says car accidents are a ‘leading’ cause of teen injury and death ‘right now’ so she ‘Just won’t risk it’.
- Drink alcohol or do drugs – Dr Brie says that a lot of children between the age of 12 and 17 are ‘drinking right now’ and a lot of times the alcohol is coming from their home. Many parents are under the impression that teens are going to drink somewhere so they may as well do it safely at home. However, according to the therapist, ‘that’s actually not at all what your teenagers think. They think that it ‘must not be that big of a deal’ because their parents let them do it.
@thefamilytherapist Teens need boundaries… especially around these three areas. #childtherapist #parentinghack #askDrBrie #therapytok ♬ original sound – Dr. Brie {Family Therapist}
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‘Insanity’
The rules may seem quite fair and straightforward but not everyone in the comments agreed with them. One called her phone rule ‘insanity’ saying: ‘9 pm is insanity. Teenagers need the time after school sports school, etc., to wind down’.
‘Do you actually have a teenager? The 9pm rule is insane,’ someone else added.
Others weren’t on board with the driving and alcohol rules. ‘I can’t agree with you on the third one that your kids can’t and won’t have drugs or alcohol in your home. Just because you’re not giving it to them doesn’t mean they can’t get it if they want it. They’ll find a way you just gotta know your kids and make sure you’re paying attention cause just cause you ain’t giving it to them. Don’t mean they can’t get it from someone else,’ said one person.
‘Teens driving with other teens though, can be the only option they have to get places though. Everyone’s situation is different,’ someone else chimed in while a fourth person asked: ‘About the driving thing, will they not be allowed to ride in the car with their significant other ever? No [secondary] school student has 7 years of driving experience.’
