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Teen

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Confusedmum2007

Teen

At what age do you stop forcing your teenager to attend events, family birthdays, going away etc?

We have a shack on the beach so we go every long weekend if we can

My 17 year old son doesn't want to do anything except game and trying to get him to go away he just sits in the room on his phone

The anxiety I have leading up to it for him to go knowing it’s going to cause a melt down is hard

What age do you say ok you’re on your own?
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Lily_RO

Re: Teen

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Hi @Confusedmum2007 , welcome to the ReachOut community - it's great to have you here Smiley Very Happy

Thank you for sharing a bit about your situation, it sounds like you're going through a challenging time navigating your son's preferences and balancing family activities. It's completely understandable that you feel anxious when trying to encourage him to participate in family events, especially when you're met with resistance.

Finding the balance between encouraging your son to engage in family activities and respecting his preferences can indeed be tricky, especially during the teenage years when autonomy becomes more important.

Have you had a chance to have an open and honest conversation with your son about your concerns? It might be helpful to hear his feelings out while also expressing your thoughts on the importance of family gatherings to you. Perhaps there's room for compromise where he feels heard and understood while still participating in some family activities. 

In case you’re interested in learning about ways to help your son manage his screen time, I wanted to share two articles from the Raising Children's Network. These touch on tips for finding a balance between screen time with other activities - you can access them here and here

Remember that every family dynamic is unique, and there's no one-size-fits-all answer to when to let go. Try to trust your instincts and communicate openly with your son as you navigate this phase together. You're doing your best as a parent, and that's something to be proud of.

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CatMaman

Re: Teen

Hi ConfusedMum2007

I just wanted to show my support, parenting a teen is hard for sure, and causes a lot of anxiety.

As your son is 17 he's nearly legally an adult.

If it were me, I would probably give him a choice, but that of course is your decision, I do not want to tell you what to do.

May it become easier for you in the future