How to support your teen when things are feeling out of control

[Claire-RO]

Ask a young person!

Parent question: "My daughter has never been in trouble before and was caught shoplifting. I grounded her for the weekend. I just heard her arranging to have a boy pick her up and go to a party. I rearranged my plans to stay home and try to keep her home. What could be going on with my daughter and what can I do to support her?"

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Our youth volunteers have shared their thoughts, what are yours? 

Have you been through something similar with your teen? How did you approach the situation?

[Claire-RO]

Text Version 

Ask a young person!

Parent question: "My daughter has never been in trouble before and was caught shoplifting. I grounded her for the weekend. I just heard her arranging to have a boy pick her up and go to a party. I rearranged my plans to stay home and try to keep her home. What could be going on with my daughter and what can I do to support her?"

Youth Answer: 

"Sorry to hear that your daughter was caught shoplifting. Since you've mentioned previously that your daughter has never been in trouble before, it is quite odd behaviour of her to engage in shoplifting. Have you had a check in with your daughter to see if she is okay at the moment? From my experience, there was one instance where I knew someone who was going through a tough time and so they were engaging in "rebellious" behaviour to cope with it. Maybe this could be happening to your daughter as well?

As for your daughter making plans to go to a party, perhaps a possible reason why she decided to do this is due to you grounding her? Of course, she needs to know the repercussions of her actions and so I can see why you chose to ground her. However, I was wondering if you explained to her why you've grounded her for the weekend? You could address to her (if you haven't done so already) why shoplifting is never okay and explain why you've chosen to ground her so that she will never shoplift again. However, I think the most important thing is that you let her know that you're always open for a chat or support if she needs it. Hope that helps! Good luck"

- Esperanza67 (Youth Volunteer)

Submit your question here.

We have over 10 young people ready and willing to share their thoughts and experiences!

Our youth volunteers have shared their thoughts, what are yours? 

Have you been through something similar with your teen? How did you approach the situation?